COVID cases continue to increase

The Whitley County Health Department announced 109 new COVID–19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of active cases to 608.

Among the new cases, officials noted that 46 involved children and five were breakthrough cases meaning the individual had been fully vaccinated.

Whitley County’s COVID–19 vaccination rate is 34.7.

Baptist Health Corbin officials announced Tuesday morning that it had 175 COVID–19 patients, bringing its intensive care, pulmonary care, telemetry beds and medical surgical unit beds to full capacity.

As of Monday afternoon, the COVID–19 incidence rate in Whitley County stood at 243.1.

Owsley County at 317.1, Clay County at 264.9 and Bell County at 249.1 were the only three out Kentucky’s other 119 counties with higher rates than Whitley.

Laurel County is at 168.7.

Knox County is at 144.

McCreary County is at 53.1.

Woodford County, which had a rate of 18.2, is the only Kentucky County not in the red zone.