Health department records highest number of new COVID cases in a day since September 2021

We are seeing a surge of cases, likely due to the Omicron variant that has been identified in the state.  While it seems it is highly transmissible, vaccination is still the best strategy to protect yourself and your families from serious illness and possible hospitalization. If you have not yet received your vaccination, please consider getting it now.  Also, remember that boosters are strongly recommended for everyone after 6 months.

Today is our highest reported daily total for the district since September 27. This is likely partly due to a backlog of reporting from the holidays, however, cases are definitely increasing.

Of today’s 383 reported cases, 291 (76%) were unvaccinated and 57 of today’s cases (15%) were in individuals 18 years of age or younger. Please take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your loved ones. Consider getting the vaccine if you are eligible and haven’t, and wear a mask when in indoor settings where there are large crowds.

Statewide Testing Positivity Rate: 20.72%.

Deaths: We are sad to report 8 new deaths since our last report. We have experienced a total of 801 deaths resulting in a 1.76% mortality rate (about 1 in 57) among known cases. This compares with a 1.39% mortality rate at the state level and a 1.49% mortality rate at the national level. Our hearts and prayers go out to all the families and friends who have lost loved ones.

Hospitalizations: We presently have 95 cases in the hospital. This is 5 more than what we reported in our last report. We have had a total of 1,868 hospitalizations resulting in a 4.11% hospitalization rate (about 1 in 24) among known cases. The state hospitalization rate is 3.97%. The latest data shows that 94.23% of Lake Cumberland’s ICU beds are filled, and 32.39% of ventilator capacity is being utilized.

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 45,476 cases since the onset of the outbreak. This means that 21.77% of our total population has been a confirmed case. However, we do not know how many additional people may have had COVID-19 and were either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and never tested.

Released (Not contagious) Cases: We released 280 cases since our last report from isolation. Released cases include: Adair: 29; Casey: 14; Clinton: 10; Cumberland: 19; Green: 18; McCreary: 33; Pulaski: 44; Russell: 15; Taylor: 33; and, Wayne: 65. In all, we have released 97% of our total cases.

Active (Current) Cases: Since our last report, we added 95 more cases than we had deceased and/or released cases. This leaves us with 586 active cases in our district across all 10 of our district’s 10 counties. On 09/03/2021 we were at our peak number of active cases, 1,709.

Where Did Cases Visit Prior to Isolation: The most common places cases visited prior to isolation are (in descending order): Businesses, Family, Schools, and Medical Facilities.

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 383 since our last report. Our new cases (including suspect cases) are as follows: Adair: 41; Casey: 15; Clinton: 11; Cumberland: 37; Green: 13; McCreary: 29; Pulaski: 70; Russell: 38; Taylor: 66; and, Wayne: 63.

The deaths we report tonight includes  a Casey County resident (partially vaccinated), a Taylor County resident (vaccinated) and a Wayne County resident (unvaccinated). We were notified of an additional five deaths today that were identified through the state audit of death certificates. These include two Pulaski County residents (both unvaccinated), two Taylor County residents (both partially vaccinated) and one Wayne County resident (unvaccinated).

About Zac Oakes 5452 Articles
Zac Oakes is the News and Sports Director for LakerCountry.com and Laker Country WJRS 104.9 FM.