By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Kentucky is nowhere near bringing an end to the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky, as the weekly report issued on Tuesday showed increases in most metrics, including new cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and the positivity rate.
The report, which was delayed from Monday due to the holiday weekend, included 10,191 new cases reported to the state for the last seven days, up from the 9,574 from the previous week. This brings the total number of positive cases of COVID in the state since the first one was reported on March 6, 2020, to 1,398,705.
Twenty-eight counties, or nearly one-quarter of Kentucky’s 120 counties, had over 100 cases. The list includes: Jefferson 1,787, Fayette 749, Hardin 350, Warren 300, Daviess 270, Kenton 258, Madison 240, Boone 221, Campbell 173, Nelson 137, McCracken 136, Pike 135, Scott 130, Laurel 128, Jessamine 126, Boyd 122, Barren 118, Bullitt 117, Hopkins and Pulaski 112, Muhlenberg 111, Perry 107, Franklin 105, Oldham 104, Christian 102, Clark and Greenup 101, and Floyd 100.
There were 38 more deaths last week, compared to 30 during the previous week. This raises Kentucky’s COVID-19 death toll to 16,182, since the start of the pandemic.
Kentucky’s positivity rate currently stands at 15.75%. Last week it was 13.36%.
The hospital census shows 405 Kentuckians hospitalized with COVID-19. Of them, 49 are in intensive care and 23 on a ventilator. Last week’s report showed hospitalizations at 377, ICU usage at 54, with ventilator use by 18 patients. That means the only improvement was the number of patients in the ICU, compared to a week ago.
Overall hospital usage for all patients, not just those with COVID, actually saw a decrease this past week. All inpatient beds are at 74.06% occupancy, ICU beds at 73.62%, and ventilator usage of 11.79%. The previous week’s figures were all beds at 75.58%, ICU beds 74.70%, and ventilators, 15.89%.
For more details and guidance, go to the state’s COVID-19 website, http://kycovid19.ky.gov/.
