CDC says the Covid-19 risk level is high in 19 Kentucky counties and medium in 29; transmission levels are high in 111 counties

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

This week's federal Covid-19 community levels map shows a slightly increased risk of the disease across Kentucky. 

Nineteen Kentucky counties are red on the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Covid-19 risk map, indicating a high level of coronavirus risk. That's the same number as last week. 

Twenty-nine counties are yellow, indicating a medium level of risk. Last week, 28 were yellow. The rankings are based on new virus cases, hospital admissions and hospital capacity. 

The red counties are McCracken, Livingston and Lyon in West Kentucky; Hardin, Woodford, Fayette and Clark in Central Kentucky; Greenup, Carter, Boyd, Lawrence in the northeast; and Rowan, Menifee, Morgan, Wolfe, Breathitt, Perry, Leslie, and Martin in Eastern Kentucky. 

All but Hardin, Rowan, Menifee and Morgan counties were red on last week's map. Moving from red to yellow were Ballard, Crittenden, Pike and Knott counties. The other yellow counties are Carlisle, Hickman, Graves, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Monroe, Grayson, Breckinridge, Meade,  Larue, Jefferson, Robertson, Harrison, Scott, Jessamine, Madison, Lewis, Bath, Powell, Lee, Owsley, Elliott, Johnson, Magoffin and Floyd. 

In red counties, state guidelines call for wearing masks in indoor public spaces, limiting in-person gatherings, limiting the size of gatherings, and social distancing.

The CDC says people in yellow 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.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map

Another CDC map shows high levels of coronavirus transmission in all but 11 of Kentucky's 120 counties, and a similar pattern in surrounding states. State officials say the map estimating risk is the better guidance for response to the virus.

Kentucky's weekly report, released on Monday, showed the state had an average of 1,928 new cases a day last week, up 38% from the week before. The weekly Covid-19 death rate stayed the same as the week before, and hospitalizations were up a bit. The positive-test rate dropped to 12.07%, from 12.42% the week prior.