CDC report shows 75 Kentucky counties at low risk of Covid-19

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

A large majority of Kentucky counties have a low risk of Covid-19 transmission and very few are at high risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly map.  

The map, which is based on new corionavirus cases and hospital numbers to determine risk, shows 75 counties at low risk, shown in green; 37 at medium risk, shown in yellow. 

Four counties were rated at high risk: Pike, Breathitt, Powell and Greenup. And for the first time, four counties had no data: Letcher, Floyd, Johnson and Magoffin. No explanation was given for the lack of data. 

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.

Kentucky's new-case rate over the last seven days ranks sixth in the nation, with a 29 percent decline in the last two weeks, according to The New York Times.

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 the virus spread in each county, at one of four levels. The map shows 12 counties had a moderate level of transmission and the rest had either substantial or high levels of transmission. 

Meanwhile, the CDC has added the Covid-19 primary vaccine series and an annual Covid-19 booster dose to its list of routine vaccines recommended for children and adults. This does not mean the vaccination will be required by schools, only that it is recommended.