State reports more than Covid-19 5,000 cases Friday and 49 deaths, as hospital systems remain strained

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

The state reported 5,133 new cases of the coronavirus Friday, one of the larger daily numbers, and the number of Covid-19 patients on mechanical ventilation set a record.

Gov. Andy Beshear said in a Facebook post that this number of cases is way too high, especially with the state's hospital systems already overrun. 

"Folks, this is serious. This isn't politics. This isn't a chance to blame other people or to try to re-write history," he said. " This is an important moment to do the right things, to get vaccinated, to put on masks, to remember that this is not about Democrat or Republican or red or blue, it's about life and death and we need to do what it takes to protect one another."

The percentage of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus is 12.88%, the ninth consecutive day this rate has dropped. 

Hospitals reported 2,426 Covid-19 patients, 647 intensive care unit patients, and 463 patients needing mechanical ventilation,  eating the record 448 set Thursday and a week earlier.

All but two of the state's 10 hospital readiness regions are using between 92% and 98.8% of their intensive-care-unit capacity. The Lake Cumberland region is using only 27.22% of its capacity and the northeast region is using 69.07% of its capacity. 

Beshear said this is the first time that Kentucky has had two straight days of fewer than 100 ICU beds available, with 95 currently open. Beshear reported on Thursday that 66 of the state's 96 acute-care hospitals are reporting critical staffing shortages. Alex Acquisto reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader that some Kentucky hospitals have begun firing staff who refused a Covid-19 vaccine. 

Meanwhile, Monica Kast of the Herald-Leader reporets that UK HealthCare is seeing its biggest Covid-19 surge of patients yet, including 15 Covid-19 patients under the age of 18. 

Beshear said there are 24 children in Kentucky hospitals with Covid-19. 

 Dr. Lindsay Ragsdale, director of the pediatric advanced care team at Kentucky Children's Hospital, told Kast, "This is everyone’s worst nightmare. Please, as a hospital, we are asking our community, please go get vaccinated. You can actually help protect children in Kentucky by just getting vaccinated.”

Health officials will discuss vaccination rates and hospital capacity issues at the 1 p.m. Sept. 22 Interim Joint Committee on Health, Welfare and Family Services in Frankfort, along with issues around health care worker shortages. 

The state reported its daily infection rate over the last seven days to be 84.65 cases per 100,000 residents. Counties with double that rate are  Rockcastle, 226.8; Powell, 218.5; Whitley, 201.7; Knox, 194.5; Perry, 175.8; Floyd, 170.6; and Monroe, 166.3.

The New York Times data shows Kentucky ranks fourth in daily infection rate, behind West Virginia, Tennessee and Alaska. 

It also shows the top six counties for daily infection rates are Knox, Monroe, Powell, Perry, Rockcastle and Russell counties. Whitley County is ranked ninth. 

The state reported 45 more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 8,251. 

"We're having far too many of our people die. We can stop it. Get vaccinated. Wear your mask. And we'll get through this, we'll get through it together," said Beshear. 

Vaccinations: Today, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel approved the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 booster shots only for people 65 and older or people who are considered high risk six months after being fully vaccinated. The panel said there is not yet significant evidence to show boosters for people under 65 are necessary, USA Today reports. 

"The committee doesn't make the decision for the FDA, but the FDA almost always takes its recommendations to heart," USA Today reports. 

Politico reports that this decision is "an unexpected roadblock for the Biden administration's plan to begin administering boosters widely as early as next week." 

"The vote is not binding, and Peter Marks, the FDA official overseeing coronavirus vaccines indicated that the final decision could be slightly different, including people who are at higher risk of infection because of their professions, such as health-care workers and front-line workers such as teachers, The Washington Post reports. 

So far, 2.6 million Kentuckians have received at least one dose of a vaccine, which includes 59% of the total state population ,72% of those 18 and older, and 46% between the ages of 12 and 17. 

Two Kentucky counties have now vaccinated at least three-fourths of their populations with one dose of a vaccine, Woodford and Franklin, at 76% each. 

At this time, immunocompromised Americans are eligible for booster shot of Pfizer or Moderna.

Schools: An overwhelming majority of Kentucky's public schools are requiring masks. Olivia Krauth reports for the Louisville Courier Journal, "As of Friday morning, 161 of Kentucky’s 171 school districts had said they will continue to require universal masking in classrooms. About 97% of Kentucky's public school students attend class in those districts. Five districts — Science Hill Independent, Burgin Independent and Hickman, Mercer and Clinton counties — have said they will now make masks optional." 

Krauth reports that after initially announcing mask would be optional, Gallatin County has now said it will require them for the next two weeks and the remaining four districts will keep mask requirements in place until school board meetings next week. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends universal masking inside K-12 schools, regardless of a person's vaccination status.

"Republican Senate President Robert Stivers said in a press conference Friday morning that the large majority of districts choosing to keep a mask mandate shows Beshear was wrong to doubt that local leaders could withstand the pressure to make such a decision," Krauth reports.

"Whether that's right or wrong, I don't know, but it's them who had the local dynamics and made this decision," Stivers said. "And (Beshear) said we punted? No, we have a little bit more faith in our local school boards and our local superintendents than he does."