Nearly halfway through July, the Christian County Health Department’s drive-thru testing site is on track to have its largest percentage of positive COVID-19 cases for any month since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
So far this month, 1,174 people have been tested. As of Tuesday, results were available for 965 of those, with 80 people — or 8.3% — testing positive, according to a weekly update from the department.
In June, 6.1% of 2,067 people tested were positive for COVID-19, and in May 1.8% percent of 1,467 were positive. In April, it was 5.3% of 320 tested. Christian County confirmed its first case in mid-March.
Health department spokeswoman Amanda Sweeney addressed questions about the significance of rising cases numbers on Tuesday.
“Some in the community have questioned whether a rise in cases can simply be attributed to increased testing,” Sweeney said in a news release. “As we take a look at the percentage of case increases compared to testing, we can see that although testing has increased, the percentage of positive case rates has increased as well.”
Christian County has 344 cases of COVID-19 confirmed to date. Those include 130 active as of Tuesday, 210 recovered and four deaths.
The cases by age group are:
- Youth (0-21): 44
- Young Adult-Middle Age (22-59): 236
- Older Adult (60-84): 58
- Elderly (85+): 6
By racial breakdown, the county’s positive coronavirus cases include 89 Black residents, 239 Caucasian, three Asian and 13 people whose race was not identified or was something other than those three categories.
The case total increased by one between Monday and Tuesday, the health department reported.
However, the week of July 5 had the highest number of any week so far with 58 newly confirmed cases. The previous week had 39, and the week of June 21 had 54 cases. That week included an outbreak at the construction for the Oak Grove harness racing track and casino.
“The rise in cases, as well as the acceleration in which cases are increasing, shows the need for citizens to work together to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” Sweeney said.
The health department is urging residents to practice social distancing and frequent hand washing, in addition to wearing a mask — which Gov. Andy Beshear mandated an executive order that went into effect Friday.
The news release does not make clear whether the health department is going to enforce the mask order.
Sweeney said, “There have been questions regarding enforcement, and the health department is working with the state for guidance. We will follow up with the public as we have more details. In the meantime, complaints and concerns can be made on the health department website or on the Christian County Health Department’s Facebook page. We will be following up with complaints and will report to the Department of Labor until additional guidance is received.”
In another matter, the health department has a stricter definition of direct contact from the Kentucky Department of Public Health.
“A direct contact is now anyone who has been within 6 feet of an individual, for 10-15 minute or more, who has tested positive for COVID-19,” Sweeney said. “The change in definition means that positive COVID-19 cases will have additional direct contacts that will need to be contacted by health department staff. We ask that community members cooperate with health department staff as we navigate new and current cases within our community.”
The health department has administered 5,028 coronavirus tests, and Jennie Stuart Health has administered 3,227, putting the county’s total at 8,255.
That number does not include tests conducted in local physicians’ offices and private clinics.
(Jennifer P. Brown is the editor and founder of Hoptown Chronicle. Reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org.)
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
