Lexington health department’s COVID cases doubled in last month, UK hospital’s tripled
COVID-19 cases in Fayette County have more than doubled in the last month, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.
As of Aug. 17 there were 190 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the health department. As of July 14 the number of confirmed cases was 84.
University of Kentucky Healthcare has also seen an increase of COVID-19 positive patients at its hospitals and healthcare facilities. As of Aug. 23 UK Healthcare had 40 COVID-19 patients, which is triple the amount it had on July 26 (13).
“Fortunately, while the current COVID variants are more contagious than earlier strains, they do not appear to cause more severe illness compared to previous variants,” Dr. Takaaki Kobayashi, senior medical director for UK HealthCare Infection Prevention and Control, said in an email.
How to stop the spread of COVID
The health department provided the following tips to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:
- Wearing a well-fitted mask in public areas
- Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
- Staying home when sick
- Covering coughs and sneezes
- Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the new 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine. The health department said its waiting for the Kentucky Department for Public Health to provide to provide guidance but it anticipates having the vaccine available soon.
How to order COVID-19 home test from the government
People will soon be able to order at-home COVID-19 tests from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Tests are expected to be available by the end of September.
Over 900 million tests have been sent to American households through the department’s program.
