CDC says certain people in Bourbon, Henderson, Nicholas and Union counties should mask up in indoor public spaces

CDC map shows Union, Henderson, Bourbon and Nicholas counties with a medium level of Covid-19.

By Al Cross

Kentucky Health News

Four Kentucky counties are back in yellow on the national Covid-19 risk map, meaning certain people there are advised to wear masks in indoor public spaces, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The latest weekly CDC map shows a medium level of the coronavirus in Union and Henderson counties in northwestern Kentucky and in Bourbon and Nicholas counties in the eastern Bluegrass region.

The CDC says people in those counties who are immunocompromised, or at high risk for severe illness from the virus, should talk to a health-care provider about whether they need to wear a mask or take other precautions.

The weekly ratings are based on new virus cases, Covid-19 hospitalizations and the percentage of staffed inpatient beds occupied by Covid-19 patients.

The report accompanying the map shows that the percentage of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus continues to increase, approaching 8 percent. It says the positive-test rate for the last week was 5% to 7.9%, with an average of 350 cases per day.

The state's latest weekly report, which was issued Monday, said the positive-test rate for the week ended Sunday was 4.35%, with an average of 428 new cases per day. Thursday's CDC report said the latest seven-day total was 2,450 cases, an average of 350 cases per day.

The CDC report shows several Kentucky counties have high levels of virus transmission, but low or moderate levels of Covid-19, perhaps indicating local effectiveness of preventive measures such as vaccinations, social distancing and masking.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map