GRDHD reports 216 new COVID cases, 2 deaths for Ohio County

In Local, News by OC Monitor Staff

OWENSBORO, Ky. — Today, Ohio County suffered its first deaths to COVID-19 related issues since the Dec. 28 report from the Green River District Health Department. The GRDHD reported the deaths of two Ohio Countians in today’s report. With today’s two deaths, 93 Ohio Countians have died due to COVID-19 related complications.

Ohio County also added 216 new confirmed COVID-19 cases since Tuesday’s report. Ohio County now has had a total of 7,160 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Currently, there are six Ohio Countians hospitalized due to COVID-19 related complications.

Elsewhere in the Green River District for Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, the Green River District Health Department reported 1,437 new confirmed COVID-19 cases with 635 in Daviess County, 47 in Hancock County, 290 in Henderson County, 58 in McLean County, 216 in Ohio County, 97 in Union County, and 94 in Webster County.

In addition to the two COVID-19 related deaths in Ohio County, four residents of Daviess County died and 3 residents of Henderson County died.

The current seven-day average for new cases in the seven-county district is now 475 new cases a day. The newly reported cases were investigated between Feb. 1-3, 2022.

  • There have been 61,336 reported COVID-19 cases in the district to date.
  • There have been 760 COVID-19 related deaths in the district.
  • The state of Kentucky is currently reporting 1,185,431 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 13,026 statewide deaths.
“Although they continue to be extremely high, we are starting to see some decline in our incidence rates of COVID-19” said Clay Horton, GRDHD Public Health Director. “Even though we are seeing some improvement, COVID-19 is still a risk. The best way to protect yourself and those you love is to get vaccinated against COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective. Wearing a mask when in public or around people you don’t live with is an effective way to reduce spread. If you are not yet vaccinated, go get vaccinated today. If you are already vaccinated and it is time, get a booster shot. If you must be in indoor public spaces, wear a mask. Most importantly, if you are feeling sick, stay home and don’t infect others.”

Ohio County’s percentage of vaccinations still remains very low at 43.73%. Ohio County’s vaccination rate is the lowest rate in the seven-county Green River District and one of the lowest rates in the state.

GRDHD COVID-19 Vaccine & Testing Availability

All persons aged 5 or older are eligible for Pfizer and all persons aged 18 and older are eligible for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. COVID-19 vaccine booster shots are now available. CDC recommends that anyone with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 get tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection. If you get tested because you have symptoms or were potentially exposed to the virus, you should stay away from others pending test results and follow the advice of your healthcare provider or a public health professional. Green River District Health Department is offering free COVID-19 testing. To schedule an appointment for a test or COVID-19 vaccination, visit the GRDHD website, healthdepartment.org, and follow the COVID-19 Test prompts or call your local county health department.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information

Kentucky residents can visit vaccine.ky.gov to find a vaccine location and sign-up for update notifications. Additional COVID-19 vaccine information can be found at vaccines.gov.

Retail pharmacies and health centers are also providing COVID-19 vaccinations.

Kentucky COVID-19 vaccine dashboard and information: https://govstatus.egov.com/ky-covid-vaccine.

Kentucky COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline: 800-722-5725 can answer general COVID-19 vaccine questions.

To help answer the community’s questions about COVID-19, the Kentucky Department for Public health has set up a website with the latest guidance and information for Kentucky residents – www.kycovid19.ky.gov. The public can also call the Kentucky COVID-19 hotline at 800-722-5725.

Demographics

The cases being reported from the Green River District Health Department are being investigated and confirmed locally. These cases are then reported to the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

Average Age: 39

Age Range: 5 days to 104 years old

Male: 46.5%

Female: 53.5%

Additional COVID-19 Guidance

A person is considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. If you don’t meet these requirements, regardless of your age, you are NOT fully vaccinated. If you have COVID-19 like symptoms you should get tested regardless of vaccination status. If you are fully vaccinated and have a close exposure with someone that is infected (tested positive for COVID-19) you do not need to quarantine as long as you are asymptomatic but it is recommended that you get tested 3-5 days after the exposure.

For additional guidance go to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully- vaccinated.html

If you are sick, experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, including but not limited to a fever, cough, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, or feel you have a medical emergency, call your health care provider. Adults over 60 and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease seem to be at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness. Those individuals should be extra vigilant and stay home.

To help answer the community’s questions about COVID-19, the Kentucky Department for Public health has set up a website with the latest guidance and information for Kentucky residents – www.kycovid19.ky.gov. The public can also call the Kentucky COVID-19 hotline at 800-722-5725.