Key Covid-19 metrics in Kentucky drop for second week in row, but N.Y. Times ranks state first for new cases in last seven days

By Al Cross Published September 14, 2022 CORONAVIRUS

New York Times map, adapted by Kentucky Health News, shows coronavirus hot spots. Kentucky ranks first; West Virginia is a close second. For a larger version, click on it; to download, right-click.
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By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Most metrics that measure the coronavirus in Kentucky dropped last week, for the second week in a row, with new cases dropping below 10,000 for the first time since the reporting week starting June 27. Even so, The New York Times ranks Kentucky’s rate of new cases in the last seven days first in the nation.

The state’s report for the Monday-through-Sunday reporting week showed 9,074 new cases, down 29% from 12,830 the previous week. The daily average decreased to 1,296 from 1,832.

Of the week’s new cases, 23% were in people 18 and younger, down from the 29% reported the prior week.

The statewide incidence rate was 26.97 cases per 100,000 population; down almost one-third from 39.72 the week before.

The counties with the 10 highest rates were Perry, 124.2; Breathitt, 107.5; Wolfe, 85.8; Wayne, 82.9; Clinton, 76.9; Rowan, 73; Russell, 70.9; Cumberland, 67.0; Monroe, 63.0; and Leslie, 59.3. The Times says Rowan, Rockcastle, Wayne, Carroll and Perry counties have some of the highest rates in the nation.

The state report shows 16.29% of Kentuckians tested positive for the coronavirus in the past seven days, down from 18.4% the prior week. The numbers do not reflect results from at-home tests.

The report showed 584 patients with Covid-19 in Kentucky hospitals, down 45 from the prior week. Hospitals reported 88 Covid-19 patients in intensive care, down 14, and 36 on mechanical ventilation, the same as last week.

The state attributed 65 more deaths to Covid-19, an average of nine per day. That’s down from 78 the week before. The state’s pandemic death toll is 16,822.

New York Times graphs compare post-February data to the peak each state reached before Omicron.