Kentucky recorded its lowest Wednesday total of COVID-19 cases in a month, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

Kentucky reported 2,424 new cases, Beshear said during a pandemic briefing.

“Overall that is a good sign,” the governor said.

The state also reported 47 deaths from the virus.

On Tuesday, officials reported the first appearance of a coronavirus variant in Kentucky that has been seen in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, spoke on Wednesday about the variant, which is believed to be more contagious.

“If you get exposed to it, you’re more likely to be infected, so that means it can infect more people more easily,” Stack said.

He encouraged Kentuckians to continue wearing masks and social distancing, calling it “more important than ever.”

As of Wednesday, 1,597 people were hospitalized in Kentucky for COVID-19-related reasons, and 225 were on ventilators.