Henderson County's COVID cases up 48.1%; Kentucky cases holding steady

Mike Stucka
·4 min read

Kentucky reported 59,465 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, from 59,736 the week before of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Kentucky ranked 36th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 5.8% from the week before, with 5,438,242 cases reported. With 1.34% of the country's population, Kentucky had 1.09% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 39 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

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Many counties did not report during data during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, disrupting the latest week's statistics. That data is being compared to a week with backlogged cases and deaths from the New Year's holiday weekend. Week-to-week comparisons are skewed and these numbers will be unreliable even as they're accurate to what states reported.

Henderson County reported 628 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 424 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 10,018 cases and 135 deaths.

Union County reported 220 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 164 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 3,328 cases and 48 deaths.

Webster County reported 171 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 99 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 2,946 cases and 46 deaths.

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Within Kentucky, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Carroll County with 1,910 cases per 100,000 per week; Boone County with 1,835; and Warren County with 1,834. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Jefferson County, with 13,665 cases; Fayette County, with 5,725 cases; and Kenton County, with 2,565. Weekly case counts rose in 78 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Warren, Hardin and Boone counties.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Kentucky ranked 37th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 63.2% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 74.6%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Wednesday, Kentucky reported administering another 78,807 vaccine doses, including 19,252 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 76,940 vaccine doses, including 18,867 first doses. In all, Kentucky reported it has administered 6,027,607 total doses.

Across Kentucky, cases fell in 39 counties, with the best declines in Jefferson County, with 13,665 cases from 17,010 a week earlier; in Fayette County, with 5,725 cases from 6,728; and in Pike County, with 409 cases from 645.

In Kentucky, 160 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 240 people were reported dead.

A total of 975,346 people in Kentucky have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 12,518 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 65,699,947 people have tested positive and 850,605 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Kentucky's COVID-19 hospital admissions rising

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Jan. 16.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 3,487

  • The week before that: 2,874

  • Four weeks ago: 2,054

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 203,221

  • The week before that: 185,954

  • Four weeks ago: 90,739

Hospitals in 41 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 35 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 43 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: Henderson County COVID cases increased by 628 this week