Knox, Laurel, Bell and Whitley counties report new COVID-19 cases Monday

Knox, Laurel, Bell and Whitley counties all reported additional COVID-19 cases Monday, but most local counties are saw a drop off in the number of new cases.

The Knox County Health Department reported 19 new COVID-19 cases Monday, including two cases involving children.

The Knox County Health Department reported seven new COVID-19 cases Friday, two new cases Thursday, eight new cases Wednesday, and seven new cases Tuesday.

Knox County has a total of 291 COVID-19 cases.

Between April 6 and May 30, Knox County reported 10 COVID-19 cases with all 10 patients having fully recovered by June 15. Since June 11, there have been 281 new COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Knox County.

As of Aug. 13, 84 cases were still active, 172 had recovered, and nine had died with the last COVID-19 death happening on Aug. 12.

Out of the first 265 Knox County cases, 28 patients were under the age of 18, 51 patients were ages 18-30, 33 patients were ages 31-40, 31 patients were ages 41-50, 37 patients were ages 51-60, 22 patients were ages 61-70, 29 patients were ages 71-80, and 34 patients were over age 80.

As of Aug. 14, a total of 3,540 COVID-19 tests have been performed in Knox County.

Laurel County

The Laurel County Health Department reported four new cases Monday, one new case Sunday, one new case Saturday, three new cases Friday, seven new cases Thursday, 10 new cases Wednesday, and three new cases Tuesday.

Monday’s new cases include: a 55-year-old female, a 30-year-old male, a 37-year-old male, and a 57-year-old female. Sunday’s case is a 34-year-old male, and Saturday’s case is a 57-year-old female, who is hospitalized.

The Laurel County Health Department also announced Monday that two previously hospitalized patients had been released and recovered, and that there were 45 additional cases, who had recovered.

The Laurel County Health Department has reported a total of 468 cases, including: 310 recovered cases, and 153 active cases, of which nine are hospitalized, and 144 are isolating at home.

Laurel County has had five COVID-19 fatalities with the most recent death happening on Aug. 6.

Between March 24 and June 4, there were 22 COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Laurel County. Since June 9, there have been an additional 446 cases reported there, according to the Laurel County Health Department.

Out of the 462 Laurel County cases, 52 patients were under the age of 18, 114 patients were ages 18-30, 79 patients were ages 31-40, 62 patients were ages 41-50, 67 patients were ages 51-60, 63 patients were ages 61-70, 21 patients were ages 71-80 and 10 patients were over age 80.

A total of 11,059 COVID-19 tests have been performed in Laurel County as of Aug. 17.

Bell County

The Bell County Health Department reported three new COVID-19 cases Monday, no new cases Sunday, 10 new cases Saturday, three new cases Friday, five new cases Thursday, seven new cases Wednesday, and four new cases Tuesday.

Bell County now has 65 active cases, including six who are hospitalized: a 66-year-old male, an 83-year-old male, a 79-year-old female, a 73-year-old female, a 62-year-old male, and a 75-year-old male.

Bell County has had a total of 343 COVID-19 cases, including 278 people, who have recovered.

The Bell County Health Department reported its sixth fatality on Aug. 10. All fatalities have involved patients, who ranged in age from 68 to 85.

Whitley County

The Whitley County Health Department reported four new COVID-19 cases Monday, one new case Friday, zero cases Thursday, one case Wednesday, and two cases Tuesday.

Whitley County has had a total of 170 COVID-19 cases, including 11 active cases with one person hospitalized.

Between April 6 and May 17, Whitley County had 11 COVID-19 cases diagnosed, all of whom have been released from isolation.

Since June 8, Whitley County has had 159 additional cases diagnosed.

On July 21, Whitley County reported its only COVID-19 death.

Out of the first 165 Whitley County cases, 20 patients were under the age of 18, 10 patients were ages 18-20, 32 patients were ages 21-30, 35 patients were ages 31-40, 21 patients were ages 41-50, 17 patients were ages 51-60, 13 patients were ages 61-70, 14 patients were age 71-80, and three patients were over age 80.

McCreary County

On Monday, the Lake Cumberland District Health Department reported no new COVID-19 cases in McCreary County, but it did report that six people there had been released from isolation.

On Sunday, the Lake Cumberland District Health Department reported one additional case in McCreary County, which involved a 42-year-old male, who is self-isolated and still symptomatic. On Saturday it reported one new case in McCreary County, which involved a 67-year-old female, who is self-isolating and asymptomatic.

The Lake Cumberland District Health Department reported one new COVID-19 case in McCreary County Friday, three new McCreary County cases Thursday, and three new McCreary County cases Wednesday.

McCreary County has had a total of 55 COVID-19 cases, including nine active cases of whom eight are self-isolated and one is hospitalized. 46 McCreary County cases have recovered.

So far, McCreary County has had no COVID-19 deaths.

Statewide cases

Gov. Andy Beshear reported 638 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, including 17 cases involving children ages five and under, and six new deaths. On Sunday, Beshear reported 390 new COVID-19 cases, including 13 cases involving children ages five and under, and three new deaths.

On Monday, Beshear reported 376 new cases, including 14 children ages five and under. Two of those cases involved 11-month-olds. There were also five new deaths reported Monday.

Statewide there have been 39,691 total positive cases of the COVID-19 virus in Kentucky, and 818 total deaths from the virus. More than 760,022 people in Kentucky have been tested for COVID-19, and at least 9,158 people have reported that they have recovered, according to the latest information on the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s official COVID-19 website.

Beshear highlighted how more young Kentuckians are testing positive, especially in the hot spots, as the new school year approaches.

“When you look at how hard children are being hit now, 322 people under the age of 18 have tested positive since the beginning of this in Warren County alone,” he said.