Kentucky recorded 714 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, including 48 across five Northern Kentucky counties. Two Northern Kentucky men were reported among the dead Friday, and four additional local residents were added to the state’s coronavirus death toll as part of an ongoing auditing of death certificates.
The state also saw its positivity rate tick up to 3.51%, and the incidence rating for Boone and Grant counties return to orange, Kentucky’s second-highest designation for severity of spread.
“Today’s report shows why it’s so important for every Kentuckian to get their shot of hope and help us meet the 2.5 million vaccine Team Kentucky Vaccination Challenge,” said Governor Andy Beshear. “We have come so far in this fight, but it isn’t over. There are more than half a million Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines available in Kentucky right now, and it just takes a few minutes to find yours.”
Kenton Co. added 23 new cases on Friday while there were 17 in Boone Co., 5 in Campbell Co., and 3 in Pendleton Co. Grant Co. reported no new cases on Friday.
A 72-year old Boone Co. man and 55-year old Kenton Co. man were reported among the dead Friday. Additional deaths from the state’s death certificate auditing process added a 67-year old man and a 64-year old woman from Boone Co., and an 81-year old woman and 74-year old man from Grant Co.
Meanwhile, the incidence rates in Boone and Grant counties is now in the orange zone, indicating accelerated spread of the virus. The incidence rate is determined by the average daily number of positive cases in a county per 100,000 people over a seven-day period. A rating above 10 puts a county in the orange zone. Grant is at 10.3 while Boone is at 10.1.
Kenton Co. remains in the yellow zone, indicating community spread with a rating of 9.5. Pendleton (7.8) and Campbell (7.3) are also in the yellow zone.
The safest zone is green, when a county averages less than 1. There are currently four of 120 counties in Kentucky in that zone.
The red zone represents critical spread and a rating of 25 or more. There are eight counties in that zone, including nearby Bracken, Robertson, Mason, and Lewis.
Much of the state, including all of Northern Kentucky, spent several months in the red zone but have seen cases drop in recent weeks as vaccinations become more widely available.
There are currently 418 people hospitalized across the state including 94 in intensive care units and 42 on ventilators.
The number of Kentucky residents having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is now at 1,638,235.
-Staff report