Kentucky COVID-19 levels in ‘nice, calm spot,’ officials say. Here’s the latest data
The prevalence of COVID-19 in Kentucky continues to thin, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday, adding that new weekly cases, the positivity rate, and virus hospitalizations have declined for six consecutive weeks.
“What we see is continued fall and steady decline,” the governor said in a news update. “All of the metrics for COVID continue to decline.”
On Monday, the positivity rate had fallen to 6.04%, down from 6.49% on Friday and 9.10% two weeks ago.
Two weeks ago, Kentucky reported 13,305 new cases. Last week, there were 12,010 new cases. Coronavirus hospitalizations have dropped by more than 20% in the last seven days.
As metrics continue trending down, the Kentucky Department for Public Health will stop posting daily coronavirus updates on its website, kycovid19.ky.gov, transitioning instead to weekly updates each Monday no later than 5 p.m., Public Health Commissioner Steven Stack said.
“Daily data reporting no longer impacts decision making, or really meaningfully informs how the public would otherwise change their interventions or personal choices,” Stack said. “Weekly is much more sustainable.”
Beshear said, after next Monday, he will “pause” his weekly COVID-19 updates “if we continue to decline at a steady rate.”
The governor previously announced he would stop his weekly coronavirus updates last spring, before the deadly delta variant swept over Kentucky. That’s why, Beshear said Monday, he’s leaving open the option to resume the weekly schedule if needed.
New measure of prevalence
Last week, Kentucky adjusted its method of measuring prevalence of COVID-19 to reflect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s, which focuses more on COVID-hospital admissions over the previous week, the number of new cases per 100,000 people and the percentage of beds occupied by COVID patients.
Based on these measurements, most of Western and Northern Kentucky is in the orange and green levels. However, most of Central and Eastern Kentucky’s community levels are considered “high,” which means masks are still recommended indoors.
As coronavirus metrics continue to recede, Stack said Kentucky is in a “nice, calm spot,” but “our actions still matter, (including) supporting those people who still feel the need to wear masks.”
Beshear echoed that guidance.
“If you feel the need to wear a mask, continue to wear a mask, and let’s all support that,” he said.
Vaccination updates
Vaccination rates, meanwhile, continue to remain stagnant. Roughly 5,000 first doses, total, were administered last week, Beshear said. In previous months, typically a few thousand are given each day.
Beshear said his office was not providing any vaccination update on Monday “because the numbers have been so low over the last week . . . even including boosters.”
Fifty-six percent of the state population is fully vaccinated (66% of adults), and 24% of residents (31% of adults) have received a booster, according to the Department for Public Health.
This story may be updated.
