CDC: Most of Kentucky has either medium or low risk of Covid-19; health experts voice concerns about new Omicron subvariant

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

The number of Kentucky counties with a high risk of Covid-19 transmission went up by three on the latest federal risk map, but the number of counties at medium-risk medium risk went down by 15. 

"What we're seeing in the last couple of weeks is a bounce up and a bounce down," Gov. Andy Beshear said at his regular Thursday news conference, before the new map was released. "Overall, it's elevated from before the holiday season, but we are not experiencing anything like what we saw after the two holiday seasons before this. So yes, we see more cases. Yes, we see a little bit more hospitalization, but vaccinations work, the treatments work, the mitigation factors that people use [work]. . . . What we're seeing now is that we know a lot about this virus, and people overall are making responsible decisions that prevent some of the really big spikes we've seen in the past." 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map, which is based on Covid-19 cases and hospital numbers to determine transmission risk, shows 16 Kentucky counties at high risk, shown in orange; 49 at medium risk, shown in yellow; and 53 at low risk, up 10 from the week before. Low-risk counties are shown in green. 

Most of the high-risk counties can be found in the eastern part of the state. 

In high-risk counties, the CDC continues to recommend that you wear a well-fitting, high-quality mask in public indoor spaces, and if you are at high risk of getting very sick, consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed.

If you live in a medium or high-risk county, the CDC advises those who are at high risk of getting very sick to wear a well-fitting mask when indoors and in public and to consider getting tested before having social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick and consider wearing a mask when indoors when you are with them.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map

The CDC also has a transmission-level map, largely used by researchers and health-care facilities, that shows the level of virus spread in each county, at one of four levels. It shows six counties with a moderate level of transmission and the rest with either substantial or high levels of transmission. 

State officials have encouraged Kentuckians to use the other CDC map to guide their preventive measures.

Latest Covid-19 variant

On Wednesday, health experts from Norton Healthcare warned of the new, highly transmissible Covid-19 subvariant and encouraged Kentuckians to get their updated bivalent vaccine. 

Dr. Kristina Bryant, a pediatric infectious-diseases specialist at Norton, explained at an online news conference that the new subvariant XBB.1.5 is a combination of two earlier Omicron variants that now makes up for 27% of all new Covid-19 cases in the U.S. She said that while it is highly transmissible, it has not increased hospitalizations so far. The CDC reports that in the health region that includes Kentucky, 17.3% of the cases have been XBB 1.5. 

"The bivalent vaccines can protect you against the most severe outcomes of Covid," said Bryant. "They are important, even for people who have had natural Covid in the past. The vaccines offer additional protections." 

She also noted that one of the reasons people have been reluctant to get the bivalent Covid-19 vaccine is because they think the virus is no worse than a cold, but said that's not the case for everyone.

“While Covid can be a mild disease for many people, there are still individuals who are at risk for severe Covid -- people who have underlying health conditions, people who are older," she said. 

Dr. Paul Schulz said that there are anti-viral treatments available for people who get Covid-19 and that he is concerned that the new variants will become resistant to these treatments. 

“In terms of impact on society, the thing that would probably be the biggest is if one of the variants became resistant to these oral treatments that are probably keeping people out of the hospital," he said.

Beshear said the state is watching the new Omicron subvariant and also encouraged Kentuckians to get the latest booster. He said only 12% of Kentuckians who qualify have gotten the Omicron booster. 

"I think we've seen enough now to say it's more contagious than previous Omicron variants which, that's a heck of a statement. That means it's again one of the most contagious viruses in our lifetime if not in history," he said. "But we haven't seen anything yet to suggest it's going to be more severe, but it is really early on."