COVID-19 update: Back in the red

Feb. 6—The area is back in the red again, meaning COVID-19 rates are high in Boyd, Greenup, Carter, Lawrence and Martin counties.

Cases also are high in Cabell and Wayne counties in West Virginia and in Lawrence County in Ohio.

The rating is based on the positivity rate in the county, according to Centers for Disease Control figures.

The number of hospitalized COVID patients has fallen in the Boyd County area. Deaths have remained at about the same level.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, at least one in 226 residents has died of COVID-19, a total of 207 reported deaths. About 9% of the population has received the bivalent vaccine.

In Greenup County, 253 cases are being reported weekly. Those receiving bivalent vaccine doses are at 9.7%.

Carter County reports 167.9% new cases weekly, with 7.9% of the population having had the bivalent booster.

COVID deaths in Cabell County have remained the same, with 91.4 cases being reported weekly.

Cabell County finds the number of hospitalizations has dropped, but deaths have held steady. About 12% of the county's population has received a bivalent dose of the vaccine.

Wayne County, West Virginia, was considered high in COVID-19 cases, with 63 new cases reported weekly per 100, thousand; only 9.3% of the population has received the bivalent dose of the vaccine.

Lawrence County, Ohio, reports 255.6 new cases per 100,000. Those receiving a bivalent booster are 8.5%.

The CDC recommends the wearing of masks when indoors when there is a high number of cases in the area.