Five Northern Kentucky counties reported 63 newly confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, with more than half of them in Kenton County, which saw its highest daily case count of the week and also moved up to an orange rating on the state’s coronavirus incidence rate map.
Kenton recorded 34 new cases and two deaths, 60- and 62-year old men.
There were 14 new cases in Boone Co., 13 in Campbell Co., and 2 in Grant Co.
Pendleton County recorded no cases for the second straight day.
On the state’s incidence rate map, which calculates the average daily case count per 100,000 people over the previous seven days, and then offers specific recommendations related to a color-coded scale, Kenton’s orange rating places it in the second-highest zone.
The county’s incidence rate is 11 and denotes accelerated spread of the virus.
All four other counties are currently rated yellow, meaning community spread of the virus.
For most of the end of last year and beginning of this year, though, Northern Kentucky and nearly the entire sate were in the highest category, the red zone, reflecting critical spread.
Meanwhile, the state continues to release gender and age information of individuals who died last fall, and only recently added to the state’s COVID-19 death toll following an audit of death certificates.
Four people from Northern Kentucky were on the list Thursday: an 84-year old woman from Boone, an 85-year old man from Campbell, and a 95-year old woman and 86-year old man from Kenton.
Across Kentucky, there were 726 newly confirmed cases and 19 deaths. The state’s positivity rate ticked up slightly from Wednesday and is now at 2.92%.
There are currently 403 people hospitalized across the state including 106 in intensive care units and 49 on ventilators.
The pace of COVID-19 vaccinations continues to accelerate in the state, Governor Andy Beshear said.
“As of today, we’re right at 1.25 million Kentuckians who have received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. That is more than 36% of our adult population, which is really exciting,” Beshear said Thursday. “This is the pace we want to keep up.”
Beshear said that on March 29, all Kentuckians 40 and older will be eligible for all three currently available COVID-19 vaccines, although vaccination sites will continue to prioritize older individuals.
-Michael Monks, editor & publisher