Coronavirus case numbers rise; positive-test rate is up to 5.7%

Kentucky Health News graph, from unadjusted initial daily reports

By Al Cross
Kentucky Health News

All the leading indicators of the pandemic went the wrong direction in Kentucky Tuesday, threatening to move the state off its rough plateau and into a riskier environment as cold weather and the holidays loom.

The state reported 1,802 new cases of the coronavirus, the most in 20 days, raising the seven-day rolling average by 6.6 percent, to 1,239.

The share of Kentuckians testing positive for the virus in the last seven days rose 0.26 percentage points, to 5.7%, the highest in 16 days. Less testing, suggested as a possible reason for recent increases, did not appear to be a factor Tuesday, since a recently typical number of tests were reported.

The seven-day infection rate rose to 22.75 daily cases per 100,000 residents, the highest in 10 days. Counties with rates more than double that rate were Robertson, 74.5; Powell, 70.5; Grant, 49.6; and Carroll, 47.

In an indication that rates will rise again, Jefferson County health officials said their daily infection rate is now 31 per 100,000. When state reporting catches up, that will put the state's most populous county back into the red on the state map, for counties with "high" transmission rates, over 25 per 100,000.

"Health officials said they could not pinpoint an exact cause, but mentioned both Halloween celebrations and fall break travel as possible factors," reports Breya Jones of WFPL.  

The state reported 43 more Covid-19 deaths, raising the pandemic toll to 10,062. One of the dead was only 11 years old, according to a post on Gov. Andy Beshear's Facebook page.

Other lagging indicators of the pandemic were down. Kentucky hospitals reported 669 Covid-19 patients, 18 fewer than Monday, with 171 in intensive care (down 25) and 111 on mechanical ventilation (down 10).

Only six of the state's 10 hospital-readiness regions reported more than 80% of their intensive-care beds occupied, and only two of them were over 90%: the Bluegrass, at 90.46%, and Barren River, at 93.42%.

In other pandemic news, Pfizer asked the federal government for authorization to make its vaccine booster available to all adults.