Kentucky is now in the midst of another COVID-19 surge, Governor Andy Beshear said Wednesday.
He blamed the omicron variant for the increase in cases and the state’s positivity rate which is now at 14.46% on Wednesday, up from 12.61% a day before.
“Folks, it’s clear Kentucky is now in a surge from Omicron,” Beshear tweeted.
Kentucky recorded 5,530 new cases on Wednesday and 4,297 on Tuesday, for a two-day statewide total of 9,827. Across five Northern Kentucky counties, there were 1,007 newly confirmed cases over the two-day period with 409 in Kenton, 329 in Boone, 172 in Campbell, 62 in Grant, and 35 in Pendleton.
Forty-four people have died in Kentucky from COVID-19 over the past two days, the state reported.
“This is the most contagious variant we’ve seen,” the governor said. “Protect yourself and others: get vaccinated and get a booster shot.”
The spike in cases follows Christmas gatherings and precedes New Year celebrations which many may be planning to attend on Friday night.
President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said Wednesday that people should feel comfortable gathering with small groups of relatives who are vaccinated and boosted, The Washington Post reported.
But, he said, “If your plans are to go to a 40-to-50-person New Year’s Eve party with all the bells and whistles and everybody hugging and kissing and wishing each other a happy new year? I would strongly recommend that this year we do not do that.”
Fauci also said that current data suggest that the omicron variant is less severe than its predecessor, the delta variant, Axios reported.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday that the omicron variant is now the dominant variant in the country, making up around 59 percent of infections in the week ended Christmas Day.
For more on the omicron variant, see the CDC website.
-Staff report