COVID

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – The Kentucky COVID-19 Community Level map issued on Friday, based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows a slight improvement over the past several weeks.

The Community Levels map breaks down by county whether the COVID level is green for low, yellow for medium and red for high levels which the CDC says is designed to help individuals and communities decide which prevention actions to take based on hospitalizations and cases.

On July 29, there were 40 yellow counties and 80 in the red, with none at the green level.  The August 12 map shows a slight reduction in red counties to 79, with 30 in the yellow, and 11 that are green.

Gov. Andy Beshear said the state may be in a COVID plateau once again. 

“Certainly, we all hope for a decrease and worldwide deaths have gone down a little bit in the last week or so,” he said. “This is what people think is going to happen now. We’re going to have increases in cases, followed by what we hope are just as quick decreases.”

The governor noted that hospitalizations are continuing to increase, “Although it is nothing like the steep rises of the past. This shows that COVID is less severe than it used to be, but there are still a lot of people in the hospital.”

He said to make sure to get vaccinated. “We are seeing the vaccination rate go up. Make sure you get boosted as well, and if you’re over 50, get that second booster.”

For more details and guidance, go to the state’s COVID-19 website, http://kycovid19.ky.gov/.

Although the U.S. government declared monkeypox a public health emergency last week, there has only been a slow rise of cases in Kentucky, thus far.

The first case was detected in the state in late June, and since then the statewide total has risen to 11, according to the CDC, compared to 10,768 cases nationwide.

Louisville Metro Health and Wellness says eight of the state’s 11 cases have been in Jefferson County.  Three people there are in active isolation, while the other five have recovered.  The Cabinet for Health and Family Services reports the other three cases have been in Montgomery, McCracken and Warren counties.

Among neighboring states, Illinois has had 734 cases, Indiana 77, Missouri 19, Ohio 78, Tennessee 67, Virginia 175 and West Virginia 4.  The state that has seen the highest number of cases is New York, with 2,187, followed by California with 1,892.

Learn more about monkeypox at https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html.