County goes COVID-19 red
By Eugenia Jones
After two years of taking precautions and dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks, life in McCreary County had almost returned to normalcy; however, McCreary County and all adjoining Kentucky counties have once again moved into the COVID-19 red (high spread) community level. As a result, officials advise those in McCreary County and other red level communities to: (1) stay up to date with vaccinations (2) wear well-fitting masks in all indoor public settings including k-12 schools (3) stay home when sick (4) follow isolation and quarantine guidance, including getting tested if exposed or have symptoms of COVID-19 (5) limit indoor in-person gatherings and reduce size of gatherings; encourage social distancing (6) consider avoiding non-essential indoor public activities, and (7) talk to healthcare providers about preventative treatments.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and obtained via the Lake Cumberland District Health Department website, McCreary County currently has 53 confirmed, active cases of COVID-19, tipping the community COVID-19 level over into the high, red level and causing public health officials to strongly recommend the wearing of masks in public places and on public transportation.
Currently, calculation of COVID-19 community levels are determined by looking at the number of hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. According to the CDC data calculated for McCreary County, there were two new hospital admissions with confirmed COVID-19 from McCreary County in the seven days prior to July 31, 2022. The weekly CDC metrics used to determine McCreary County’s latest COVID-19 community level include a case rate of 307.59 per 100,000 population, 11.7 new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population, and a 3.2% rate of staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19.
Health officials are also strongly urging individuals to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations. Within McCreary County’s estimated population of 17,231, there are 7,663 (44.5%) with at least one dose of vaccine and 6,826 (39.6%) fully vaccinated.
For more information regarding steps to follow if you have been exposed to or tested positive for COVID-19, visit the Lake Cumberland District Health Department website.
