Kentucky’s COVID positivity rate drops. See the latest CDC community levels by county
Kentucky added 10,499 new reported cases of COVID-19 last week and saw a dip in its positivity rate, which dropped to between 15% and 20%, new figures released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.
That’s a decrease from the week before, when the positivity rate ranged from 20% to 25%, according to the CDC’s COVID-19 data tracker. That rate reflects the positive tests over the total tests recorded during the period.
Friday, there were more Kentucky counties at a low COVID-19 community level, now at 12 statewide.
The Kentucky counties at low include Bracken, Breckinridge, Caldwell, Calloway, Christian, Grayson, Henderson, Mason, Meade, Todd, Trigg and Trimble counties.
Additionally, 37 counties are at a medium level and 71 are at high, where the CDC recommends wearing a mask in indoor, public places.
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Statewide, there were 66 additional COVID-19 deaths, the CDC reported Thursday.
In Fayette County, the positivity rate was down half a percentage point from the previous week, standing at 17.84% as of Thursday.
Fayette and all adjacent counties remain among the 71 at a high community level.
The CDC assesses community levels by looking at the following factors:
New COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population (seven-day total)
New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population (seven-day total)
Percent of inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (seven-day average)
According to the CDC, when the community level is high, individuals should wear a good mask or respirator and consider limiting indoor activities if you are high risk.
At medium, high risk individuals should mask in indoor, public places. Vaccinations and testing if symptoms arise are universal recommendations.
Hoping to encourage more Kentuckians to renew their immunity to COVID-19, Gov. Andy Beshear is pledging he and his family will get the updated boosters aimed at the fast-spreading omicron strains.
“All of my family is going to get this booster. My kids, 12 and 13 (years old), are gonna get this booster. It is safe, and it is going to protect us from, or better protect us, from the variant that is out there right now,” Beshear said during his weekly press conference Thursday in Frankfort.
The updated boosters are recommended for all persons ages 12 years and older who had their last dose at least two months ago. Many local health care providers are preparing to distribute them as soon as they receive them.
“It doesn’t matter if you’ve had three or four shots, you need to get this one,” Beshear said.
Locations and appointments can be found online at vaccines.gov.
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