Kentucky confirms its first case of the highly contagious omicron COVID-19 variant
Kentucky has confirmed its first case of the highly transmissible omicron COVID-19 variant, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday evening.
“As expected, Kentucky has confirmed its first case of the omicron variant,” Beshear tweeted. Earlier on Friday, Kentucky reported 2,582 new cases of COVID-19 and 35 deaths. The positivity rate, on the rise for the last two days, hit 8.94% on Friday, up from Thursday’s 8.84%.
Though omicron has been formally confirmed in the commonwealth, the variant has likely been here for days if not weeks. By Friday afternoon, close to 40 states had logged at least one case of the variant. Scientific studies and real-world data reaffirm that omicron appears to be the most contagious variant of the virus yet, though it may cause less severe illness.
Though unvaccinated people continue to drive infections worldwide, Omicron, more so than any other variant, is causing more infections among those who are fully-vaccinated, though they are milder. Some epidemiologists and infectious disease experts are warning that even the most aggressive mitigation tactics cannot protect from community transmission of omicron.
Kentucky is at risk for rapid spread of the new variant, with just 54% of the state population fully vaccinated. Only 17% of residents have received a booster dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health.
More infections in communities, even milder ones, increases the likelihood for hospitalizations and deaths from the virus. In Kentucky on Friday, intensive care unit occupancy was at 90.4%, and only 137 ICU beds were open statewide. Hospitalizations from coronavirus continue to climb in Kentucky: 1,255 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 by the week’s end (an increase of 63 people in the last week and 19 more than Thursday); 329 were in an ICU (14 more than Thursday); and 195 people were relying on a ventilator to breathe (an increase of 2 people).
