The Omicron variant of COVID-19 was identified in Kentucky recently. It will only be a matter of time before it becomes the dominant strain here. 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.

Of today’s 218 reported cases, 157 (72%) were unvaccinated and 38 of today’s cases (17%) 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: 11.8%.

Deaths: We are sad to report 5 new deaths since our last report. We have experienced a total of 791 deaths resulting in a 1.77% mortality rate (about 1 in 56) among known cases. This compares with a 1.43% mortality rate at the state level and a 1.55% 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 88 cases in the hospital. This is 8 less than what we reported in our last report. We have had a total of 1,852 hospitalizations resulting in a 4.13% hospitalization rate (about 1 in 24) among known cases. The state hospitalization rate is 4.08%. The latest data shows that 92.73% of Lake Cumberland’s ICU beds are filled, and 39.13% of ventilator capacity is being utilized.

Total (Cumulative) Cases: The Lake Cumberland District has experienced a total of 44,790 cases since the onset of the outbreak. This means that 21.44% 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 367 cases since our last report from isolation. Released cases include: Adair: 48; Casey: 16; Clinton: 15; Cumberland: 10; Green: 15; McCreary: 27; Pulaski: 95; Russell: 39; Taylor: 31; and, Wayne: 71. In all, we have released 97.5% of our total cases.

Active (Current) Cases: Taking into account deaths and releases, our active cases decreased by 156 more than the new cases we added since our last report. This leaves us with 319 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, 1,711.

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

New Cases: We report that our total case count has increased by 216 since our last report. Our new cases (including suspect cases) are as follows: Adair: 34; Casey: 6; Clinton: 7; Cumberland: 4; Green: 10; McCreary: 16; Pulaski: 53; Russell: 21; Taylor: 35; and, Wayne: 30. Our current new case growth rate is: 1.00138. This means our total case count is projected to double every 500.95 days. The most new cases we ever added in a single day was on 09/07/2021 when we added 730 cases.

Tonight’s report includes five deaths, four Pulaski County residents (three unvaccinated, one partially vaccinated) and one Cumberland County resident (unvaccinated).

Tonight’s report also includes the deletion of two duplicate cases, one in Adair County and one in Wayne County.

State and local vaccination rates can be found at the following link:  https://dashboard.chfs.ky.gov/views/KYPublicFacingDashboard_16191000580170/KentuckyCOVID-19Vaccination?:iid=1&:isGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y&:embed=y