Lexington reports 76 new COVID-19 cases. September sees surges in cases, deaths
Lexington reported 76 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday morning, bringing the city’s total number of cases to 8,464.
Lexington has hit significant COVID-19 milestones in September: the one-day case record was set on Sept. 11 with 167 new cases, the monthly case record was set with a few days left in the month, and the monthly death record was tied Tuesday when the city reported its 17th death this month.
Lexington set the one-month record for new cases and tied the record for deaths over the weekend. COVID-19 has killed 76 Lexington residents in total. More than 60 percent of all deaths have been people 75 and older, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. About 95 percent of all deaths have been people 55 and older.
But case counts for older residents are significantly lower than case counts for Lexington’s younger populations. Residents 55 and older only make up about 16 percent of all Lexington’s cases. Residents 24 and younger make up about 46 percent of Lexington’s cases.
The increase in cases among young people has coincided with colleges and universities resuming in-person classes. College students in Lexington now account for more than one-fourth of all of Lexington’s cases, according to the health department. The return to class has potentially caused some residents to be too “casual” about COVID-19 safety procedures, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday.
“We have become more casual in our approach to COVID and our concerns about COVID, and how well we follow those rules and guidelines that are out there,” Beshear said.
A large portion of the deaths has occurred among Lexington’s nursing home population.
More than half of all of Lexington’s coronavirus deaths were residents at long-term care facilities, including two at Cambridge Place, seven at Homestead Post Acute, one at Liberty Ridge Senior Living, one at Morning Pointe of Lexington, three at Northpoint, 25 at Pine Meadows Post Acute and three at the Willows at Fritz Farm, according to state health department data.
Lexington has also reported 530 total hospitalizations and 7,368 recoveries from COVID-19 since the pandemic started.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 9:46 AM.