This story first appeared in the Sept. 30 issue of the Community Voice. To get the latest local news and sports, call 270-384-9454 for your print or online subscription.
While many people fully recover after becoming ill from Covid-19, the community was reminded this past week that the virus is indeed deadly.
Adair County lost seven people during a seven-day period ending Tuesday to Covid-19. Since Sept. 1, a total of 11 Adair County residents have lost their battle to the virus.
New case numbers are in decline on a state level, with a seven-day average drop- ping to levels seen in August.
Gov. Andy Beshear listed eight deaths over the weekend of Kentuckians in their 30s and 40s and encouraged people in those age ranges and younger to get vaccinated.
The Lake Cumberland District Health Department did not provide age information for the people who have died in the district this month. They did provide a report from Tuesday that showed that 58 percent of the active Covid-19 cases in the district were people under the age of 50.
The health district has reported 30 deaths during a seven-day period on Tuesday and 98 deaths during September for the 10-county area. Of those 98 deaths, 88 people were not vaccinated and 10 people were vaccinated.
The district has experienced 22,590 cases since the vaccine started becoming available, and almost 94.56 percent were unvaccinated.
Adair County residents continue to lag behind other counties in making the decision to vaccinate, with the state’s vaccination rate now at 60 percent but Adair County’s lagging at 37.71 percent. Taylor County has the highest rate in the district at 52.42 percent. Casey County has the lowest at 35.29 percent. Other county rates are Pulaski, 48.89 percent; Russell, 46.21 percent; Green, 41.08 percent; McCreary, 40.8 percent; Wayne, 40.42 percent; Cumberland, 40.26 percent; and Clinton, 37.99 percent.
Hospitals are reporting a decline in Covid-19 patients, although numbers in the intensive-care units aren’t dropping as fast, Kentucky Health News reported Tuesday. Kentucky hospitals reported 2,045 Covid-19 patients on Monday, 617 in intensive care and 399 on mechanical ventilation.
The hospital-cases number was 166 fewer than Friday. It went down 49 Saturday, fell by 117 Sunday, then stayed the same Monday. ICU numbers dropped to 608 Saturday, but rose to 609 Sunday and to 617
Monday. Patients on mechanical ventilation were 30 fewer on Monday than on Friday, Kentucky Health News reported.
Also, fewer hospital regions are reporting using more than 80 percent of their ICU beds, although two of them are reporting 100 percent capacity: Northern Kentucky and Lake Cumberland.
Beshear said the state has 104 ICU beds available and 68 of the state’s 96 acute care hospitals are reporting critical staffing shortages.
