Lexington reports 81 new COVID-19 cases. UK partners with state for more testing
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department reported 81 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday morning, bringing the city’s total to 4,602 since the pandemic first reached Lexington.
There were no new deaths and three new hospitalizations reported. There have been 51 deaths and 365 hospitalizations since March, according to health department data. There were 70 new recoveries reported, bringing the city’s total to 3,652.
Recent case increases have included new cases from University of Kentucky students and inmates at the Lexington-Fayette County Detention Center. Since the pandemic first reached Lexington in March, 261 UK students have been counted in Fayette County’s cases. Twenty-one of those were cases newly-reported Tuesday morning.
UK’s positivity rate was less than 1 percent as of Friday, the most recent day for which data has been released by the university.
As of Monday evening, 72 inmates and six staff members at the Lexington-Fayette County Detention Center have tested positive for COVID-19, according to data from Community Corrections. Including inmates at the Federal Medical Center on Leestown Road, 357 incarcerated people have contracted COVID-19 in Lexington, according to health department data.
There are now over 900 confirmed cases in the 25-34 age range, which makes up about 20 percent of all Lexington’s cases. That’s more than double the number of cases in most other age ranges defined in the health department’s daily COVID-19 report.
COVID-19 testing is available in several places around the city, including at least nine free testing sites, according to Lexington Emergency Management. City officials said they’ve worked to make testing available to as many people as possible.
“We certainly encourage everybody to be tested,” said John Bobel, spokesman for Lexington Emergency Management.
Testing will expand more on Aug. 24 when UK HealthCare opens two drive-through testing locations thanks to a partnership with the state. The testing sites will be at 1350 Bull Lea Road and 1505 College Way, according to Wild Health’s website.
Wild Health partnered with UK to test students returning to campus. That partnership is continuing for this testing program, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday. Testing is by appointment only. Appointments can be scheduled at lexington.wildhealth.com.
Beshear said scheduling an appointment helps gather information that can get test results distributed faster. He also said the testing will help serve testing demand for Lexington and its surrounding areas because of the city’s interstate access.
“This is going to help not just the Lexington community, but the broader state,” he said.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 9:28 AM.