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COVID cases continue to rise in Letcher Co.



Kentucky officials are again raising the alarm about COVID 19 as vaccination rates lag and new cases in the state reached 1,054 on Tuesday alone.

In Letcher County, the number of cases has risen to 2,021 on Tuesday, up from 1,994 a week ago. There were 9 new cases on Monday, enough to raise the county’s seven-day average daily incident rate to 16.6, the 28th highest in the state.

Governor Andy Beshear and Dr. Steven Stack, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Public Health, are now recommending that all unvaccinated Kentuckians wear masks indoors when not in their home, that those who are vaccinated but are at higher risk from COVID-19 due to pre-existing conditions should wear masks indoors when not in their home, that vaccinated Kentuckians in jobs with significant public exposure should consider wearing a mask at work, and all unvaccinated Kentuckians, when eligible, should be vaccinated immediately.

““We have the most aggressive variant that we have seen to date in our battle against COVID. It’s a serious, even deadly, threat to unvaccinated Kentuckians,” said Gov. Beshear. “If more adults don’t get vaccinated, it’s not just adults who pay the price. It’s our kids who will. Many of them can’t get vaccinated yet, and they count on us to make good decisions and do the right thing.”

The Centers for Disease Control shows that 38.4 percent of Letcher County residents have been vaccinated, just 2/10 of 1 percent higher than a week ago. Of those 12-17, 44.8 percent are now fully vaccinated, up 3/10 of 1 percent from a week ago. Of those 18-64, 48 percent are fully vaccinated, up 2/10 of 1 percent. In the oldest age group, those ages 65 and up, 66.7 percent are fully vaccinated, up 1/10 of 1 percent from a week ago.

The Delta variant, which is in Kentucky, but not yet identified in Letcher County, is more transmissible and more deadly than the original virus, and it affects younger people. Health officials say those who are fully vaccinated are still well-protected from the virus, but those who are not are at risk. The variant has become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States.

“Getting vaccinated is a choice,” said Dr. Stack. “We’ve said that all along. It’s your choice. It’s an incredibly important choice. It’s a choice that should you choose to get vaccinated, you protect yourself and also all the others who are both vaccinated and unvaccinated because the more of us who are vaccinated, the less the virus is able to spread, to infect people and to hurt people. If you choose not to get vaccinated, that is your choice as well, but it is a particularly dangerous choice.”

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