Christian County has six newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number to 13, the Christian County Health Department announced Tuesday.
That’s an increase of six cases since Monday.
Going forward, the health department will no longer identify county residents who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 by gender and age, as it did with the initial seven cases, the department’s director, Kayla Bebout, said Tuesday in a teleconference with local news media. Instead, the health department will identify people with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis only within an age range, she said.
The ranges, and the number in each range locally, are:
- Pediatric (0-21): 2
- Young-Middle Age Adult (22-59): 7
- Older Adult (60-84): 4
- Elderly (85-plus): 0
Health department spokeswoman Amanda Sweeney said releasing information about new cases by an age range would be a better way to handle a growing number of cases. Bebout added there is also a concern about coronavirus patients being bullied and said she didn’t want young people to be identified because their age had been released.
Currently there is one coronavirus patient hospitalized at Jennie Stuart Medical Center, said Beth McCraw, vice president of nursing and clinical services.
The largest one-day jump in local cases occurs as Jennie Stuart Medical Center’s Express Lab sees a larger number of test results reported back from a lab in Missouri.
PTC lab in Missouri is processing specimens in 72 hours, hospital representatives said.
That’s a big improvement over the amount of time LabCorp. has taken to provide results.
The hospital initially contracted with a LabCorp facility in North Carolina to process tests. There are still 185 tests pending from LabCorp, said McCraw.
The hospital is following up with patients who still have not received a test result back from LabCorp. Those who still have symptoms could be scheduled to be retested, said Dr. Keith Toms.
This story will be updated.
(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.
