‘Rapid’ spread: Lexington reports 113 new cases of COVID-19, 1 new death
Lexington reported 113 new COVID-19 cases and one new death Thursday morning, increasing the city’s total case count to 7,497.
The city has had 71 total deaths, 492 hospitalizations and 6,205 recoveries.
“COVID-19 cases continue to spread rapidly throughout Lexington,” Lexington-Fayette County Health Department officials said on social media.
University of Kentucky students accounted for 48 of the city’s new cases, according to the health department. The health department has reported 1,479 cases among UK students since Aug. 3. The local health department only reports UK students who are considered to be Fayette County residents, meaning they must live in Fayette County or choose to quarantine in Fayette County if they live elsewhere.
The Kentucky Department for Public Health reported that there were 665 active cases among students, but that number hadn’t been updated since Tuesday night.
Lexington’s COVID-19 spread has been high relative to many other areas of the state. Over the last week, the Lexington area has had a daily average of more than 36 new cases per 100,000 residents, which is defined as “critical” spread by the state health department.
After consistently reporting 100-plus cases for the past couple weeks, the 113 new cases reported Thursday didn’t crack the top five single-day increases for the city. The top five increases have been:
- 167 cases, Sept. 11
- 149 cases, Sept. 10
- 131 cases, Aug. 7
- 123 cases, Sept. 9
- 122 cases. Sept. 1
- 121 cases. Sept. 2
A new COVID-19 testing site in Lexington
CVS Pharmacy will add a new free testing location in Lexington, the company announced Thursday. The new site will be at 2000 Harrodsburg Road. It will open on Friday. Patients have to register on CVS’ website and schedule an appointment in advance.
The new site in Lexington is one of 19 new sites being opened in Kentucky on Friday. In total, CVS said it will open more than 2,000 new sites nationwide.
There was one other CVS site open in Lexington, which also required appointments. With the new CVS location, there will be 11 free testing sites in Lexington.
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 9:30 AM.