Five COVID-19-related deaths reported

By TONY FYFFE

BSN Editor

Five additional COVID-19-related deaths were reported as new case numbers continue to soar in Lawrence, Johnson, Floyd and Martin counties.

The Lawrence County Health Department reported one death Aug. 19 and another one on Aug. 23, while Johnson County announced three coronavirus-related deaths, including one on Aug. 17 and two on Aug. 19.

The additional deaths bring Lawrence County’s total to 32 and Johnson County’s to 37.

A total of 626 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Lawrence, Johnson, Floyd and Martin counties from Tuesday, Aug. 17, through Monday, Aug. 23, including 74 in Lawrence County, 167 in Johnson County, 347 in Floyd County and 38 in Martin County.

The highest single-day total of new cases was 89 in Floyd County on Aug. 18.

“The numbers are not good today,” the Floyd County Health Department said in an Aug. 18 Facebook post.

Active cases in the four counties as of Monday totaled 831, including 77 in Lawrence, 216 in Johnson, 488 in Floyd and 50 in Martin.

The total number of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began in March 2020 is 10,532, including 1,710 in Lawrence County, 2,827 in Johnson County, 4,720 in Floyd County and 1,275 in Martin County.

All but one of Kentucky’s 120 counties were in the red on the state’s COVID-19 incidence rate map Monday, prompting Gov. Andy Beshear to issue new recommendations for red-zone counties.

The new recommendations are:

• Increase vaccination efforts to reach unvaccinated persons.

• Require masking in government buildings.

• Encourage masking in public indoor settings for all persons over 2 years of age.

• Encourage physical distancing of at least six feet apart in public settings.

• Maximize usage of outdoor spaces for gatherings.

• Consider limiting in-person community gatherings and postponing large events.

• Encourage medically vulnerable persons to avoid large crowds.

• Engage community partners and stakeholders to implement a strong communication plan.