CDC: 83% of Ky. counties have low risk of Covid-19 transmission

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Most of Kentucky again has a low risk of Covid-19 transmission on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention risk map, but when it comes to having the most new coronavirus cases per capita in the last seven days, The New York Times ranks Kentucky second in the nation, following Florida.

The CDC determines risk by considering both new cases and Covid-19 hospital numbers in each county, while the Times ranking is based solely on new cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days.

The CDC risk map shows 100 Kentucky counties with a low risk of Covid-19 transmission, shown in green, and 20 with a medium risk, shown in yellow, 10 fewer than last week.

In counties at medium risk, the CDC continues to advise that those who are at high risk of getting very sick to wear a well-fitting mask when indoors and in public and to consider getting tested before having social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick and consider wearing a mask when indoors when you are with them.

The CDC also provides a community transmission level map, largely used by researchers and health-care facilities, that shows the level of virus in each county, at one of four levels. The map shows two counties with a low levels of transmission, Robertson and Fulton, and 50 with moderate risk, up from 28 in the prior weeks report. The rest have either substantial or high risk.