COVID-19 is now higher than ever in Kentucky, as Governor Andy Beshear reported that last week was the highest week in the pandemic for new cases.
He says whether its omicron or the delta variant of coronavirus, what’s clear is that the state has surpassed exponential growth as there were 52,603 new cases between January 3 and January 9. Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack says the omicron variant in particular is very highly transmissible, one of the most contagious illnesses in the last 100 years.
Dr. Stack says the good news is that currently, evidence is showing that omicron is not making people as badly sick as prior variants, especially among those who are fully vaccinated.
Unfortunately, it still does make some people very ill, putting them into hospitals that are already overtaxed, short-staffed and exhausted. Dr. Stack urges people to not go to the emergency room just to get a COVID test—find a different provider to help keep people out of those hospitals—and if you feel sick, no matter how mild, stay home until those symptoms pass and you feel better.
There were 5,049 newly reported cases Monday, along with a positivity rate of 26.33 percent and 14 COVID deaths, putting the overall death toll since the pandemic began at 12,425.