Kentucky sees a jump in counties at medium COVID-19 community level. Here’s the map
The number of Kentucky counties experiencing medium COVID-19 community levels is on the rise as health care providers look ahead to winter and a surge in respiratory illnesses.
New data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 46 commonwealth counties at a medium COVID-19 community level, though only three are at the high level.
Those three counties are Knott, Letcher and Pike.
The CDC determines the metric by looking at new cases per 100,000 (weekly total), new coronavirus hospital admissions (seven-day total) and the percentage of inpatient beds taken up by COVID-positive patients.
The number of Kentucky counties experiencing medium community levels represents a sharp uptick from last week, when only 13 were at that level.
The number of counties at high has remained the same, however, and most of the state is still blanketed in green, indicating low COVID-19 community levels.
Along with gauging local health care capacity, the CDC measure is also meant to help shape public health guidance. For example, the CDC only recommends most people mask in public at the highest community level, issuing milder recommendations at lower levels.
Before the CDC updated its community level map Thursday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear gave an update on the state of the pandemic during a news conference. To make his case COVID-19 is leveling off, Beshear referred to a bar graph showing fluctuating case counts from week to week.
“Look, this really shows the plateau,” Beshear said Thursday. “It’s never exactly flat. It’s up and down.”
That said, Beshear did acknowledge case counts don’t give the full picture of where Kentucky stands with COVID-19. Epidemiologists and public health experts have already made that point. They instead prefer tools like wastewater surveillance to monitor the pandemic – which have picked up signs of a fall surge.
“COVID is still serious. It’s still killing people,” Beshear said, urging people to get the updated booster.
“Almost all deaths right now are amongst people who are unvaccinated or who haven’t been boosted,” he said.
Where does Fayette County stand with COVID-19?
In its latest map, the CDC puts Fayette County in the medium zone.
At medium community levels, the CDC recommends:
If you are at high risk of getting very sick, wear a high-quality mask or respirator (e.g., N95) when indoors in public.
If you have contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick, consider self-testing to detect infection before contact and wearing a high-quality mask when indoors with them.
Stay up to date on vaccination, including recommended booster doses.
Maintain ventilation improvements.
Avoid contact with people who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
Follow recommendations for isolation if you have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
Follow the recommendations for what to do if you are exposed.
If you are at high risk of getting very sick, talk with a health care provider about additional prevention actions.
According to CDC data updated through Nov. 9, there were 214 additional cases in Fayette County since the previous reporting period.
It also reported fewer than 10 new deaths in the county due to COVID-19 and a positivity rate of 6.28% – though that particular metric has become less reliable due to the prevalence of at-home tests.
In its most recent report Nov. 7, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department reported 254 additional COVID-19 cases between Oct. 29 and Nov. 4, with one additional death.
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