The Grayson County Health Department (GCHD) has released a coronavirus update.
The health department said Tuesday morning that only three new cases of the virus have been confirmed in the county since the department’s last update on Friday. The newly reported cases increase Grayson County’s COVID-19 victim count to 430 since the onset of the pandemic.
Health officials said 13 victims are “isolated,” indicating a positive test. Three patients are currently in a hospital, officials said.
The GCHD said 401 (93.2 percent) patients have recovered from the virus.
The county’s death toll is now 16, after an earlier death was ruled by state health officials as not coronavirus-related; GCHD Director Josh Embry said state health officials continue to re-verify COVID-19-related deaths.
Grayson County’s rate of occurrence down
Grayson County, once categorized as a “red” county, defined by the state as “critical” in relationship to the number of daily COVID-19 cases reported over a seven-day period, has dropped to “yellow” status, indicating “community spread.”
As of Monday, Grayson County has had 7.6 cases confirmed per 100,000 population over the previous seven days, according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health.
Currently, a record-high 21 Kentucky counties are in the “red.” Those counties have had 25-plus cases confirmed per 100,000 over the previous seven days.
The “red” counties nearest Grayson County are Allen County (36.2 per 100,000) to the south and Webster County to the west — Webster County holds the distinction of having the highest rate of occurrence in Kentucky at 53 per 100,000 population, while bordering Henderson County’s rate of occurrence stands at 52.5, second highest in the state.
Whitley County, in far southeastern Kentucky, has the third highest rate of occurrence at 49.2.
Warren County, a long-time hot spot for the virus, is now an “orange” county (indicating “accelerated” spread), with 15.5 cases per 100,000.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
