As cases drop, CDC puts 8 Kentucky counties at high COVID community level. See the map

Aaron Mudd

COVID-19 appears to be receding across Kentucky, with fewer new cases, deaths and hospitalizations, a lower positivity rate and nearly two-thirds of the state’s counties experiencing low community levels, as of Thursday.

That’s according to the latest Kentucky Department for Public Health report and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Data Tracker, updated Thursday.

According to the latest available CDC data, there are only a handful of Kentucky counties – eight – that are currently experiencing high COVID-19 community levels. Those counties are concentrated in Eastern Kentucky and include Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Owsley and Perry counties.

On the other hand, 74 Kentucky counties that span the state have low community levels, while the remaining 38 have moderate levels.

The latest data from the CDC shows that more than half of Kentucky’s counties are experiencing low community levels of COVID-19.
The latest data from the CDC shows that more than half of Kentucky’s counties are experiencing low community levels of COVID-19.

The metric, as defined by the CDC, aims to factor in how the pandemic is affecting local health care capacity. It assesses the following factors:

  • New COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population (using a 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)

In counties with a high community level, the CDC advises people to wear a high-quality mask or respirator, and if you are at high risk of getting very sick, consider limiting your non-essential indoor activities in public.

Statewide, the positivity rate has fallen as low as 7.7%, but it’s worth noting this metric isn’t what it used to be because at-home tests are not factored.

The number of new weekly cases, as of Oct 3., stood at exactly 3,979, and there were 61 new deaths in the preceding week, according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health. Kentucky has recorded the deaths of 17,030 people to COVID-19 during the pandemic.

As for Fayette County, it remains at medium level for COVID-19, with a positivity rate of 8.62%.

There were 241 new cases here in the week leading up to Oct. 5 and fewer than 10 total deaths, the CDC’s COVID-19 Data Tracker shows.

While new cases are declining in Kentucky, in other parts of the world, such as Europe, there are early hints of a new surge. Infections have been rising in many European countries, including France, the United Kingdom and Italy, NPR reported.

As the weather cools, pushing more people indoors where the virus spreads more easily, the risk of resurgence rises. That’s why public health experts are recommending getting your updated COVID-19 vaccine booster so you can improve your protection in time for the winter surge.

Do you have a question about COVID-19 in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.

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