Fourteen patients were being treated Tuesday in the COVID-19 unit at Jennie Stuart Medical Center, said Beth McCraw, the hospital’s vice president for nursing and clinical services.
Of those patients, four had tested positive for the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and the others were presumed to have COVID-19 and awaiting the result of a test.
The number of confirmed cases countywide increase by one to 84, the Christian County Health Department announced Tuesday.
There are 40 active cases and 41 recovered, said health department spokesman Amanda Sweeney. In addition, three people died earlier in the month.
Five patients previously admitted to Jennie Stuart have been discharged, McCraw said during the health department’s twice-weekly teleconference.
As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed, active cases by age group were:
- Pediatric (0-21): 1
- Young Adult-Middle Age (22-59): 24
- Older Adult (60-84): 15
- Elderly (85+): 0
Local health officials are urging residents to follow Kentucky’s coronavirus orders and to stay at home unless they are working or going out for food and other essential supplies.
Sweeney said there is a concern that Tennessee’s plan to begin reopening stores and other businesses could impact Christian County.
She also addressed an apparent misconception regarding face masks. The health department is not requiring residents to wear a face mask when they leave home, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the practice, she said.
In another message to the community, Brooke and Chris Jung, co-chairs of the Christian County Complete Count Committee, asked residents to complete the 2020 Census form.
For the first time in U.S. history, an online form is available, Chris Jung noted. It has never been easier or more crucial to complete the form, he said.
The census determines the level of federal funding for a range of programs, and it determines each state’s number of congressional representatives.
Brooke Jung encouraged local businesses and organizations to share the news of their ongoing census count through the signage, newsletters, websites and even on receipts.
“Get creative. Get loud,” she said.
The Census Bureau is delaying sending enumerators door-to-door because of the pandemic, said Chris Jung. Residents who use the online form or return the questionnaire they received in the mail will help ensure that the count doesn’t miss residents who would have otherwise been contacted through an in-person visit this summer. At this point, the enumerators are not expected to go out until after August.
(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.
