Three people in Christian County with COVID-19 have died, the Christian County Health Department reported Wednesday afternoon.
They are an 86-year-old man, an 86-year-old woman and a 76-year-old man, health department spokeswoman Amanda Sweeney said in a pair of news releases. All three had underlying health conditions, she said.
The health department reported the deaths in news releases sent at 12:15 p.m. and 3 p.m., but there is no information about where and when the patients died.
However, Gov. Andy Beshear said two Western State Hospital patients had died.
On Tuesday, Jennie Stuart Medical Center confirmed it was treating 16 patients who had symptoms of COVID-19.
As of Wednesday, Christian County has 38 cases of active COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Twelve people in Christian Count have recovered from COVID-19.
The number of local cases by age group are:
- Pediatric (0-21): 1
- Young Adult-Middle Age (22-59): 24
- Older Adult (60-85): 12
- Elderly (85+): 1
“We would like to send our condolences to the family during this difficult time,” the health department spokeswoman said in the news release. “In memory of these individuals, and in memory of others who have lost lives due to COVID-19, we are asking that community members display green lighting or signs in their facility or homes to show compassion for their loss.”
The health department urges residents to follow local and state guidelines to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
“If you have been tested and are waiting on results, self-quarantine/self-isolate in your home until you have received a negative test result or have surpassed the 14-day waiting period. Failing to self-quarantine/self-isolate while awaiting test results may put others at risk for contracting the virus,” Sweeney said.
Essential businesses should follow guidelines and help enforce the county health order that prohibits more than one member of a family or group at a time inside a business, officials have said.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
