As Kentucky’s coronavirus case numbers appear to be in a plateau, health officials are warning people to not let their guards down because a vaccine has arrived in the state and the holiday season is upon us.
Kentucky added 2,946 new cases Tuesday which is the fewest on a Tuesday since November 24.
While the number of cases has dropped slightly in the past two weeks, the number of people hospitalized and in the ICU has not.
The state reported 1,788 people in the hospital with a confirmed case of the virus, which is the third most since the pandemic began. The 438 people in the ICU has not fluctuated much in the past two weeks.
The state’s positivity rate remained at 8.5-percent for a third straight day.
Kentucky reported 15 new deaths linked to the virus Tuesday ranging in age from 61 to 92. And in a startling number, deaths in long term care and congregate settings accounted for 65-percent of the state’s COVID-19 deaths on December 1. That total had increased to 72-percent by Tuesday.
Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said in order for the state to not have a repeat in a case spike that happened after Halloween and Thanksgiving, people need to limit gatherings at Christmas.
click to download audioOn Tuesday, the state revised its travel guidance to discourage all out-of-state leisure travel until further notice.
click to download audioAccording to the state’s incidence rate map, only Fulton, Menifee, and Bath counties were not considered a “red” county for a high number of new COVID-19 cases.
