Kentucky continues have the nation’s highest rate of new Covid-19 cases, even though case numbers dropped 7.9% last week – Harlan Enterprise

Kentucky continues have the nation’s highest charge of recent Covid-19 instances, although case numbers dropped 7.9% final week

Revealed 3:00 pm Tuesday, August 16, 2022

New coronavirus instances in Kentucky have gone up and down over the previous few weeks in what could possibly be the start of a plateau. Final week, they dropped 7.9% after rising 6.8% the earlier week.

The state’s weekly report for the Monday-to-Sunday reporting interval reveals 14,409 new instances final week, a mean of two,058 per day. The prior week, it was 2,236.

Of the brand new instances, 19.5% have been in individuals 18 and youthful, up from 16% in final week’s report. This enhance in new instances amongst youth comes as Kentucky kids head again to highschool amid new steering from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, which now not requires routine testing or “test-to-stay” applications. Well being officers nonetheless urge school-aged kids to get a Covid-19 vaccine.

The share of Kentuckians testing optimistic for the coronavirus elevated barely to 18.51%, up from 18.41% the week earlier than. The numbers doesn’t embody at-home checks.

The statewide incidence charge of recent instances declined once more, to 35.32 per 100,000 residents. Final week that charge was 39.05. The highest 10 counties have been: McCreary, 154.2; Harlan, 95.6; Perry, 95.4; Leslie, 94; Wolfe, 87.8; Menifee, 81.5; Letcher, 78.2; Breathitt, 73.5; Knott, 73.3; and Knox, 71.1.

The New York Occasions ranks Kentucky’s an infection charge first among the many states, even with an 11% drop in instances within the final two weeks. The Occasions says McCreary County has the best charge within the nation, at 149 instances per 100,000. A federal jail there has had outbreaks prior to now. State officers have attributed the differing numbers to differing methodologies, together with the state’s removing of duplicate check outcomes.

Kentucky hospitals reported fewer Covid-19 hospitalizations final week, however the identical variety of Covid-19 sufferers in intensive care and on mechanical air flow. They reported 615 Covid-19 sufferers Monday, down from 623 every week earlier. They reported 74 Covid-19 sufferers in intensive care and 27 on mechanical air flow.

The state attributed 76 extra deaths to Covid-19 final week, up from 67 the week earlier than. The pandemic loss of life toll is now 16,540.