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There was not much good news to be found in Kentucky’s weekly COVID-19 report that was issued on Monday, as the number of new cases, deaths, and the positivity rate rose, compared to last week’s figures.

A total of 9,761 new cases were reported to state public health officials during the past seven days, compared to 7,140 during the previous week.  There has now been a total of 1,354,787, since the first case was reported in Kentucky on March 6, 2020.

Sixteen counties had 100 or more cases last week, compared to 12 in the May 30 report. Jefferson County had 1,925, Fayette 816, Hardin 203, Kenton 186, Madison 184, McCracken 163, Boone 153, Warren 150, Campbell 148, Boyd 136, Bullitt 128, Clark 117, Scott 116, Oldham 108, while Jessamine and Pike counties each had 101.

Kentucky’s positivity rate, based on the ratio of all tests to those that came out positive, increased by more than a full percentage point over the past seven days, from 11.21% to 12.42%.  That is the highest it has been since mid-February, when a big decline was underway that lasted until the middle of April.

The hospital census has also seen an across-the-board rise. Currently, there are 299 Kentuckians hospitalized, with 34 of them in the ICU and 17 on a ventilator. The previous week’s numbers were 234, 29 and 9, respectively, by comparison.

As a result, hospital bed usage, which includes all patients not just those with COVID, is currently at 76.15% of capacity statewide. ICU beds are 74.11% utilized, and ventilator usage is at 15.50%, all representing increases during the past seven days.

The latest weekly Community Level map, which was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, indicates that while most Kentucky counties remain in the green or low category, 20 are now yellow, or medium level, which is down from 21 the previous week.  However, seven counties, Boyd, Crittenden, Greenup, Lawrence, McCracken, and Pike, have reached red, or high community level of COVID.  McCracken is the only county in the red for three straight weeks.

For the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky and more guidance, go to the Department for Public Health’s website, at http://kycovid19.ky.gov/.