Unvaccinated make up vast majority of Fayette COVID hospitalizations, ICU cases

Numbers continue at staggering levels

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – The COVID numbers show no signs of abating in Fayette County.

The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department reported 894 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday — the final number will be higher as the department continues to work through a backlog of cases during this overwhelming surge of cases. The 7-day rolling average is 700 new cases day, down slightly from 707 cases Monday but still in record levels not seen since the pandemic began.

On Jan. 3 the seven-day average was 395 and that was a record at the time..

Currently, 126 Fayette County residents are hospitalized — the number does not include people in Lexington hospitals who are from other counties — with 84% of them unvaccinated. More than half of the hospitalizations (67) are ages 18-64, with 94% unvaccinated, according to the department.

Of the 24 Fayette County residents in Intensive Care Units, 92% are unvaccinated. Also, 16 people are on a ventilator, with 94% unvaccinated.

The Health Department has all the COVID-19 vaccines available by same-day appointment every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the Public Health Clinic at 650 Newtown Pike. Call 859-288-2483 to schedule your COVID-19 vaccine! The department advises it is experiencing an increased number of phone calls for services, so “please be patient – your call WILL be answered,” the staff noted.

The county now has registered 65,284 cases since March 2020.

One new death was included in Wednesday’s report, bringing the number of residents lost to COVID-related causes to 488.

Prior to Christmas, the the county was seeing about 40 hospitalizations per day. That’s up to 120 now, he told board members.

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