COVID-19 continues to surge

By Eugenia Jones

Positive cases of COVID-19 are surging throughout the ten county Lake Cumberland region including McCreary County.  At this time, all ten counties are listed in the red (critical) zone for transmission.  The surge in cases is causing strain on area hospitals and the Lake Cumberland District Health Department (LCDHD).

Because of the continued increase in positive cases in the Lake Cumberland region, LCDHD officials are cautioning anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 to isolate themselves immediately and to Not wait on a call from the health department.  LCDHD officials are also asking those who test positive to notify anyone they may have been in contact with so those individuals can begin quarantine.  More guidance is available at www.lcdhd.org.  

On Monday, the Lake Cumberland region had its highest transmission rate for the virus with more active cases since the start of the pandemic.  That same day, the LCDHD daily brief reported McCreary County released 93 cases but added 88 new cases for a total of 99 active cases.  

On Tuesday, the daily news brief indicated a total of 105 active cases in McCreary County with 8 of those individuals being hospitalized.  As of Tuesday, there had been 34 COVID-19 deaths in McCreary County.  As of Tuesday in the Lake Cumberland District, there were 1,460 total active cases with 57 of those hospitalized.  Districtwide, the most common places cases had visited prior to isolation were (on Tuesday in descending order):  schools, family, businesses, and long-term care/residential facilities.  Of the District’s 14,972 new cases since the vaccine became available, almost 94.92% were unvaccinated.

LCDHD encourages vaccination.  Currently, McCreary County’s vaccination rate is at 28.22%.  McCreary County has the least number of vaccinated individuals in the ten county district.  Pulaski County has a 45.09% vaccination rate, and Wayne County has a 35.35% vaccination rate.  The state rate is 57%.

Individuals are encouraged to take precautions such as getting vaccinated and, regardless of vaccination status, take other preventive steps as well.  Daily precautions recommend for all include masking up particularly in public areas, avoiding crowds as much as possible, washing hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, staying home if sick, increasing sanitation, and avoiding touching the face.