‘Omicron is burning through Ky.’ More than 11,000 new COVID-19 cases reported Friday.

Kentucky set yet another grim COVID-19 record for the fourth consecutive day on Friday, when Gov. Andy Beshear announced 11,096 new cases and a surging positivity rate of 24.45%.

The commonwealth, like many other states, is in the throes of an omicron surge that has yet to let up, the governor said in a video posted to Twitter. Friday’s case total exceeding 11,000 dwarfed Thursday’s record of 9,836 new cases.

“Omicron is burning through Kentucky,” he said, issuing yet another plea for people to take precautions by getting vaccinated, boosted, and wearing masks around others. “This thing is spreading like crazy.”

Though the week isn’t yet over, Kentucky has already reported more new coronavirus cases than in any other week during the pandemic; since Sunday, 44,532 new infections have been confirmed, a head and shoulders over last week’s 28,698 cases.

The number of people sick enough with COVID-19 to be hospitalized also continues to rise. By Friday, 1,856 people had been admitted with coronavirus — 73 more people than were hospitalized Thursday, and 344 more than Sunday. In hospital intensive care units there are 423 people with coronavirus (up 21 people from Thursday), and 223 relying on a ventilator to breathe (four fewer).

Beshear also announced 39 additional deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths to 12,358. Fifty-four percent of the total state population is vaccinated — 65% of adults — and 20% of residents have received a booster, according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

Hospitals and health care facilities continue to offer supplemental therapies for people who contract the highly contagious virus, such as monoclonal antibodies. But with the surge in cases leading to heightened demand, that may no longer be a reliable option in some parts of the state.

On Friday, St. Claire Regional HealthCare, which operates St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead, announced that the health system’s allocation of monoclonal antibody therapy was completely depleted. As a result, all requests for the treatment are “on hold,” the hospital said in a statement.

New shipments ended Jan. 3, said Chief Medical Officer Will Melahn. Unless those supplies are replenished, “we won’t be able to meet our patients’ demand for this therapy,” he said.