Western Kentucky health department notes lower COVID case count for the week

HENDERSON, Ky. — There were 41 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 COVID-related deaths reported by the Green River District Health Department on Tuesday in its weekly update.

There were 18 cases in Daviess County, seven in Henderson, seven in Ohio, three in Union, three in Webster, two in McLean and one in Hancock. The deaths included five residents of Daviess, four from Henderson and one from McLean.

In the previous update from the health department last Tuesday, there were 119 cases and 11 deaths.

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The seven-day average for new cases in the seven-county district is now six per day. Nearly two months ago on Jan. 28, the average peaked at 849 per day. 

The new cases in Tuesday's report were investigated between March 14-20. With waning case numbers, the health department has scaled back to once-weekly updates.

All seven counties within the GRDHD are now designated "yellow" for moderate risk by the Kentucky Department for Public Health. All seven counties have incidence rates lower than 10 with Hancock the highest at 6.6 and McLean the lowest at 1.6.

The state's incidence rate is 10.7 cases per capita, which remains the sixth-highest figure in the nation. There have been 1,306,877 cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky since the pandemic began, with 14,659 known COVID-related deaths.

According to new masking guidelines from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, COVID levels in all U.S. counties are now classified as low, medium or high. The CDC continues to recommend indoor masking in areas considered high-risk and mask-optional in counties with low or medium risk. 

In its most recent update of March 11, the CDC currently classifies all counties in the Green River District as areas of "low" spread.

The health department recommends residents:

• Wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status;
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and available boosters;
• Continue to follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine if you are exposed or have symptoms.

The GRDHD recommends those who are immunocompromised or at higher risk to take extra care, including having a plan for rapid testing and talking to your healthcare provider about potential treatments if you get infected.

Henderson County Schools modified its Healthy at School Plan on Feb. 17, making facemasks optional for students and staff on school grounds during school hours. Universal masking remains in practice on school buses. The school system has said that its mask policy is driven by data and therefore subject to change.

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The City of Henderson has gone to a mask-optional policy in government buildings in light of new CDC guidelines for medium-risk counties.

Masking is still required on public transportation due to federal mandate that has been extended to April 18.

Kentucky residents can visit vaccine.ky.gov to find a vaccine location and sign up for update notifications. Additional COVID-19 vaccine information can be found at vaccines.gov.

Retail pharmacies and health centers are also providing COVID-19 vaccinations. Kentucky COVID-19 vaccine dashboard and information: https://govstatus.egov.com/ky-covid-vaccine Kentucky COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline: 800-722-5725 can answer general COVID-19 vaccine questions.