New-case average passes 400, positive-test rate passes 4%; infection rate has doubled in a week; hospitalizations up too

State Dept. for Public Health map, adapted by Kentucky Health News; to enlarge, click on it.

Ky. Health News graph from Dept. for Public Health data

By Al Cross

Kentucky Health News

Two major measures of the pandemic passed troubling thresholds in Kentucky Thursday.

The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the coronavirus in the last seven days rose above 4 percent for the first time in four months, and the daily average of new cases passed 400 for the first time in seven weeks.

The positive-test rate is 4.04%, 0.23 points above Wednesday's seven-day figure and more than double what it was just two weeks ago. The last time it exceeded 4% was March 8, when it was 4.06%.

The state reported 564 new cases of the coronavirus Thursday, raising the seven-day rolling average by 32, to 402. It was last above 400 on May 27.

The statewide infection rate, which closely tracks the seven-day average, is 8.6 per 100,000 residents. That is more than double what it was a week ago. The national rate has more than doubled in the last 14 days as the much more contagious Delta variant of the virus spreads,

Counties with rates more than double the statewide rate are Muhlenberg, 30.3; Hopkins, 29.4; Clay, 27.3; Webster, 26.5; Lewis, 25.8; Carter, 24.5; Livingston, 23.3; Hart, 22.5; Whitley, 22.5; Woodford, 21.4; Laurel, 18.1; Martin, 17.9, and Pike, 17.3.

Other counties with rates higher than the state rate are Pulaski, 16.5; Logan, 15.3; Adair, 13.4; Boyd, 13.1; Perry, 12.8; Greenup, 12.6; Grant, 12.5; Simpson, 12.3; Graves, 12.3; Fulton, 12; Barren, 11.9; Henderson, 11.7; Crittenden, 11.4; Hardin, 11.1; Warren, 11.1; Clark, 11; Boyle, 10.9; Marion, 10.4; Leslie, 10.1; Marshall, 10.1; Meade, 10; Letcher, 9.9; Metcalfe, 9.9; Larue, 9.9; Fleming, 9.8; Mercer, 9.8; Casey, 9.7; Franklin, 9.5; Washington, 9.4; Lincoln, 9.3; McLean, 9.3; Calloway, 9.2; Boone, 9.1; Daviess, 9; and Fayette, 8.7.

Covid-19 hospitalizations continued to increase. Kentucky hospitals reported 264 Covid-19 patients, the most in six weeks; 65 of them were in intensive care, and 33 of those were on a ventilator.

The state reported five more Covid-19 deaths, bringing Kentucky's death toll from the pandemic to 7,281.

Vaccination update: The daily average of vaccinations in Kentucky rose slightly, to 5,804, but that is still one of the lowest levels reported. Just over half the population, 50.4%, has had at least one dose of vaccine; 44.6% are fully vaccinated. Among the vaccine-eligible, age 12 and up, 59.2% have received at least one dose.