No new cases of COVID-19 were reported Tuesday in Christian County. The number remained at 93, with 27 active cases and 63 recovered, in addition to three who have died, the health department reported.
For the first time since local officials began reporting cases in late March, the health department on Tuesday provided a racial breakdown of the people who have tested positive for the respiratory disease.
The numbers are close to the county’s demographic profile.
There have been 71 white residents, 21 black and one Asian who have tested positive for COVID-19. Whites accounted for 76 percent of cases and blacks accounted for 23 percent. By comparison, 72 percent of residents are white and 22 percent are black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Among the three people who died of COVID-19 in Christian County, one was black and two were white, the health department reported.
Spokeswoman Amanda Sweeney said the health department had received inquiries about the race of people infected with the coronavirus in Christian County. (That included this news outlet.)
The report also notes that women account for a much larger share of cases: 59 percent female and 41 percent male.
In other areas of the state and country, there’s been a disparity in COVID-19 cases with black residents often testing at percentages greater than their percentage of the total population. As a result, the state set up testing sites in African American neighborhoods in Louisville and Lexington to encourage more testing.
What isn’t known is the racial breakdown among everyone tested, so it’s not clear if black residents account for a percentage of those tested that is on par with their share of the county’s population. (On Monday, May 4, the health department began recording racial identity for everyone who is tested.)
The number of people who have been tested by the health department and Jennie Stuart Health combined is 1,934. Additional testing has been done in local medical offices, but that number is unknown. (Jennie Stuart ended its drive-thru testing last week, so the health department is the only drive-thru site in the county now.)
Hopkinsville is among the most racially diverse communities in the state; about 30 percent of those living in the city limits are black. But the one testing site in the community is on the south side of town, at Tie Breaker Park, and not near the inner-city and African American neighborhoods.
Sweeney said the health department wants to hear from anyone who cannot get to the testing site. A staff member will ensure that transportation is provided, she said.
“If someone can’t reach the site … give us a call,” she said.
The health department’s number is 270-887-4160.
COVID-19 testing at Tie Breaker Park is free and available to anyone regardless of their work status and no matter if they have symptoms of the disease. Hours are 9 to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 to 11 a.m. Saturdays. It is closed during inclement weather. No insurance is required.
Asked if the health department has considered moving the test site closer to the inner-city, Sweeney said officials would look at another site if the location becomes an issue.
This story has been updated to include information about the race of three people in Christian County who died of COVID-19.
(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.
