The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus here increased by 11 in one day, raising the total to 248 on Tuesday, the Christian County Health Department reported. That followed an 11-case increase between Friday and Monday.
“COVID-19 can quickly spread within congregate settings,” health department spokeswoman Amanda Sweeney said in a news release. “As Kentucky transitions through the Healthy at Work phases, as churches begin to hold regular congregational services, as community members engage in summer activities, and as summer holidays are approaching, please consider others and the risk of COVID-19 for those with compromised immune systems.”
The health department is asking local residents to pay attention to their surroundings, especially in settings with several people, in the event they need to later help identify people with whom they had contact.
“This will be valuable information should someone test positive for COVID-19 and allow contact tracers to identify those who may have been exposed,” Sweeney said.
The week of June 21 had 54 newly confirmed cases, the largest so far in one week. Some of those were construction workers at the harness racing track and casino facility at Oak Grove.
As of Tuesday, there were 83 active cases and 161 recovered, in addition to four deaths since the start of the virus outbreak in mid-March.
The number of cases by age group are:
- Youth (0-21): 30
- Young Adult-Middle Age (22-59): 170
- Older Adult (60-84): 45
- Elderly (85+): 3
Categorized by race, Christian County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, include 188 Caucasian, 55 Black, one Asian, and four whose race was not among those or was unidentified, according to the health department’s report.
The health department reported Tuesday it had tested 3,958 people for COVID-19, while Jennie Stuart Medical Center had tested 2,691.
Free testing by the health department is available 9 to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday at Tie Breaker Park.
(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.
