197 new cases of COVID-19 in Whitley, Laurel, Knox and Bell counties

Whitley, Laurel, Knox and Bell counties announced a total of 197 new cases of COVID-19 Monday.

Whitley County

The Whitley County Health Department announced 28 additional COVID–19 cases on Monday, bringing the county’s total to 2,386.

The health department reported 32 new cases on Dec. 31, 29 new cases on Jan. 1, 13 new cases on Jan. 2, and 10 new cases on Jan. 3.

There are currently 243 active cases, of which 11 are hospitalized.

With the new cases, Whitley County’s COVID–19 incidence rate stands at 99.7.

Laurel County

The Laurel County Health Department announced 43 additional cases of COVID–19 on Monday, bringing the county’s total to 4,027.

The health department reported 58 new cases on Dec. 31, 66 new cases on Jan. 1, 22 new cases on Jan. 2, and 34 new cases on Jan. 3.

There are currently 51 individuals hospitalized.

With the new cases, Laurel County COVID–19 incidence rate stands at 76.1.

Knox County

The Knox County Kentucky Health Department announced 102 additional cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the county’s total to 2,021.

Fourteen of the new cases involved children, officials stated.

There are currently 223 active cases in Knox County.

With the additional cases, Knox County’s COVID–19 incidence rate stands at 89.4.

Bell County

The Bell County Health Department announced 24 additional COVID–19 cases, bringing the county’s total to 1,913.

The health department reported 20 new cases on Dec. 31, 40 new cases on Jan. 1, 13 new cases on Jan. 2, and 9 new cases on Jan. 3.

There are currently 220 active cases, of which seven are hospitalized.

With the additional cases, Bell County’s COVID–19 incidence rate stands at 88.9.

Statewide

Gov. Andy Beshear announced 2,319 additional COVID–19 cases in Kentucky on Monday, bringing the state’s total to 279,143.

Beshear reported 26 additional deaths, bringing the death toll to 2,749.

Beshear said 1,737 Kentuckians are currently hospitalized, of which 456 are in intensive care.

As of Monday, 112 of Kentucky’s 120 counties have a COVID–19 incidence rate greater than 25, which places them in the red zone.

Owen, Wolfe, Lewis, Casey, Magoffin, Bracken, and Bath counties are orange zones.

Hickman County has the lowest incidence rate at 9.8 which means that it is in the yellow zone.

Boyle County has the highest incidence rate at 162.1.

During the governor’s press conference Monday, Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health announced additional phases of Kentucky’s vaccine distribution process. Phases include:

• Phase 1a: Long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, health care personnel
• Phase 1b: First responders, Kentuckians age >= 70, K-12 school personnel
• Phase 1c: Kentuckians age >= 60, anyone older than 16 with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highest-risk conditions for COVID-19, all essential workers
• Phase 2: Age >= 40
• Phase 3: Age >= 16
• Phase 4: Children under the age of 16 if the vaccine is approved for this age group (estimated to comprise 18 percent of Kentucky’s population)

The Governor said the state’s goal is to administer 90 percent of all vaccine doses received in the state within seven days of arrival and that the newly announced additional phases provide clarity on when more Kentuckians can get the vaccine.

“We are committed to getting this done quickly, efficiently and in the best way we know how and are able to deliver. We’re committed to ramping up the pace dramatically,” said Stack. “We’re asking every vaccination site to use the prioritization guidance and stick with that, but the top level goal is for every vaccine administration site in the state to administer 90 percent or more of the vaccine doses they receive within one week, so we don’t have vaccine doses waiting in a freezer until the next week.”

In other news about the vaccine, five former Governors and their spouses received the COVID-19 vaccination Monday in the Capitol Rotunda to emphasize the bipartisan support for the safe and effective vaccines and urge fellow Kentuckians to take the vaccine, according to a press release from the Governor’s office.

Those who received the Moderna vaccine Monday include Julian Carroll, John Y. Brown Jr., Martha Layne Collins and Bill Collins, Ernie and Glenna Fletcher and Steve and Jane Beshear.