New cases of the coronavirus continue to decline in Kentucky, but people continue to die from Covid-19; U.S. deaths hit 1.1 million

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

Overall, the Covid-19 metrics in Kentucky are good, but the bad news is that people are still dying from it. 

The latest report from the state Department for Public Health showed there were 2,848 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Kentucky last week, or 406 cases per day. That's 12 percent less than the previous week's 3,245 cases. 

The state's new case-rate dropped to 4.28 cases per 100,000 residents, from 5.5 the week before. The top 10 counties were Clinton, 15.38 cases per 100,000; Lewis, 11.84; Wayne, 11.24; Webster, 9.93; Spencer, 8.86; Letcher, 8.62; Bath, 8; Henry, 7.97; Fleming, 7.84; and Hardin, 7.72. 

The weekly Centers for Disease Control and Prevention risk map, based on new cases and hospital numbers, shows all but one of Kentucky's 120 counties have a low risk of Covid-19. That county is Letcher, shown in orange to indicate a high risk of Covid-19 transmission. Low-risk counties are shown in green. 

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.

CDC map; for a larger version, click on it; to download, right-click.

The CDC also provides a community-level transmission map, largely used by health-care facilities and researchers, that shows the level of virus in each county, at one of four levels. The latest map shows 11 counties with a low level of transmission and 67 with a medium level; the rest are either substantial or high. The state says residents should take their guidance from the other map.

 Last week in Kentucky, the state attributed 55 more deaths to Covid-19, down from 57 the week before. The state's death toll from Covid-19 is now 18,404. 

Nationwide, the CDC reports that 1,327 people died from Covid-19 last week, bringing the total number of Covid-related deaths nationwide to 1.1 million.