Fayette COVID cases top 36,000, school cases pose questions
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Fayette County’s new COVID case numbers continue up, crossing another threshold and reaching levels similar to July 2020 when the first major “surge” began.
Meanwhile, Fayette County Public Schools are weighing the rising number of cases before finalizing plans for reopening classes — in-person and virtual — in early August.
After lengthy discussions Tuesday with health officials, school officials delayed finalizing the plans. Those decisions likely will come in the next few days as educators continue to monitor CVID numbers and guidance from local, state and federal health officials, spokesperson Lisa Deffendall said.
The discussion is made even more difficult because of some of the numbers the district must consider.
According to the health department, so far in July, 16 COVID cases have been confirmed in people who identified themselves as working for the school district. Of those, 12 have been vaccinated and four have not, raising the question for school leaders as to the contagious nature of the disease and what that could mean.
The school board meets Monday and is expected to hear from Health Commissioner Dr. Kraig Humbaugh.
In its Wednesday report, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department reported 47 new cases Tuesday, bringing to 36,040 the total number of cases in the county since March 2020. The county first hit a daily total of 47 on July 17, 2020.
The seven-day moving average remained at 38.
The county has confirmed 325 deaths from COVID-related causes.
• Getting the free COVID-19 vaccine by same-day appointment every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in our Public Health Clinic at 650 Newtown Pike. Call 859-288-2483 to schedule your appointment. The special vaccination clinics offer the Moderna vaccine for ages 18 and older and the Pfizer vaccine for ages 12 and older. Visit
https://www.lexingtonky.gov/vaccines to learn about vaccination other clinics in Lexington;
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick, especially those with COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, muscle/body aches, loss of taste/smell, nausea, etc.);
• Covering coughs and sneezes;
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth;
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds;
• Wearing a face covering in crowded public areas.
The health department updates Lexington’s COVID-19 numbers Monday-Friday at
lfchd.org.
The monthly totals of COVID-19 cases during the outbreak are:
• 110, March
• 143, April
• 507, May
• 793, June
• 1,702, July
• 2,538, August
• 2,804, September
• 2,736, October
• 6,070, November
• 5,991, December
• 6,155, January
• 2,694, February
• 1,314, March
• 1,027, April
• 689, May
• 287, June
Lexington’s COVID-19 numbers are updated Monday-Saturday at lfchd.org.
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