Whitley Co.’s COVID-19 incidence rate one of 13 highest rates in the state

The Whitley County Health Department announced 56 new COVID–19 cases on Tuesday.

Officials said 15 of these cases involve children, while two are breakthrough cases, meaning the individuals have been fully vaccinated against COVID–19.

There are currently 331 active COVID–19 cases in Whitley County.

The vaccination rate in Whitley County stands at 33.6 percent.

State officials noted that more than 2.425 million Kentuckians have received at least one vaccine dose.

However, only 17 of Kentucky’s 120 counties have seen more than half of eligible residents get vaccinated.

According to the Kentucky Department for Public Health, Whitley County’s COVID–19 incidence rate has now reached 114.6. It is one of 13 counties across Kentucky with incidents rates exceeding 100.

Clay County continues to have, by far, the highest incidence rate at 221.1

Bell, Laurel and Jackson counties are also in excess of 100. Laurel County’s rate stood at 133.4 as of Tuesday.

Laurel County Health Department officials reported 552 new COVID–19 cases between Aug. 7 and Aug. 13, with 35 people hospitalized.

Twenty-two of those new cases were breakthrough cases. Among the other counties bordering Whitley County, Knox County’s incidence rate is 81.6 and McCreary County is at 91.2.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday that the number of pediatric hospital admissions due to COVID–19 has increased more than 400 percent over the last month.

On July 16, the number was 133. On Aug. 16 the number was 548.

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Public Health, said a variety of hospitals across the state have already started canceling and postponing non-urgent, but important surgeries and other procedures that would require admission to the hospital for overnight stays. He added that larger receiving hospitals in Kentucky are receiving calls from hospitals in Louisiana and Alabama seeking ICU beds to transfer patients to them; and reports from Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri and Louisiana indicate there are no beds available in these states.