Positivity up 41st straight day, almost 1,000 people now in hospital

August 5, 2021

Steve Rogers,

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – The state’s surge in new COVID cases, fueled by the highly

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contagious Delta variant, showed little sign of slowing Thursday.

The state reported 2,217 new cases, down slightly from Wednesday’s 2,583 cases which was the highest since Feb. 3. The positivity rate continued up for the 41st straight day, increasing to 10.27% from Wednesday’s 10.08%.

Of Thursday’s new cases, 478 were in people 18 and under. That was down from 512 on Wednesday.

In Thursday’s daily report, the total number of cases in the state since March 6, 2020 reached 492,556.

The number of counties in the ‘red’ category for high incidence rates continues to climb with more than half the state’s 120 counties now in that category. Only four counties remain in the low ‘yellow’ category and all others are in “red” or “orange.”

The state reported four new coronavirus-related deaths, bringing Kentucky’s total death toll since the pandemic began in March 2020 to 7,366.

The number of people in the hospital, on ventilators and in the ICU also continues up.

The state reported 939 people in the hospital, up from 889 Wednesday, 824 people Tuesday and from just 625 Friday; 282 in ICU, up from 275 Wednesday, 263 Tuesday; and 108 on a ventilator, up from 100 Wednesday, and 96 Tuesday.