9 KY counties at low COVID community level under latest CDC update. Here’s those at high
Though the coronavirus is continuing to spread in Kentucky, several counties across the state dropped back to low COVID-19 community levels, according to the latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the CDC’s Thursday update, nine Kentucky are now classified at low COVID-19 community levels, though more than half the state’s counties remain at a high level.
The CDC defines that measure by looking at new cases per 100,000 people (using a seven-day total). The metric also includes new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 people (a seven-day total) and the percent of inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (a seven-day average).
The nine Kentucky counties at low levels are Fulton, Calloway, Logan, Cumberland, Taylor, Estill, Owen, Bracken and Mason.
Many other counties still fall into the medium or high levels, however. That includes more than 70 at high.
The CDC recommends masking in public in high-level counties. At-risk individuals are encouraged to mask in medium level counties.
COVID-19 in Fayette County and Kentucky
As of Thursday’s update from the CDC, Fayette remains as a high level county for COVID-19. The positivity rate there stands at 18.87%, representing a slight increase from last week.
That said, with the phase out of public testing events and more people testing at home, that rate is less reliable, public officials have said.
As of Aug. 11, the latest date available from the CDC, there were 4,085 tests performed over the previous seven days in Fayette County.
Across Kentucky, the CDC reported 11,396 new cases as of Wednesday over the previous seven-day period. The CDC also reported 14 additional deaths across the state for the week, bringing Kentucky’s virus death toll since the pandemic began to 16,540.
New COVID-19 booster is on the way, federal officials say
Updated COVID-19 vaccines are on their way and expected to be available in “a few short weeks” for everyone aged 12 and older, White House coronavirus response coordinator Ashish Jha said Wednesday.
Jha underscored the new coronavirus vaccines will be formulated for “the virus that’s out there,” referring to omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, along with the original coronavirus.
Jha anticipated booster doses of the coronavirus vaccine will continue to be required on an ongoing basis, mainly because the protection they offer decays over time.
“Just like the flu vaccine where people need to get updated once a year, we probably need to continue to get updated with COVID vaccines on an ongoing basis,” Jha said.
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