Lake Cumberland District Health Dept. report on Thursday, May 21, 2020...
Today we report no new deaths. We released 7 from home-isolation (recovered), so 82% of our total confirmed cases have recovered. We are also happy we only have 2 in the hospital right now. We are reporting 4 new cases: a 66-year-old male from Adair indirectly related to the nursing home in Adair County; a 60-year-old male, a 65-year-old female, and a 70-year-old male in Pulaski.
The Lake Cumberland area has experienced 214 Cumulative Confirmed Cases and there have been 8,290 Confirmed COVID-19 cases across 117 Kentucky Counties as of 05/21/20 (this includes 8,286 statewide plus 4 recently reported cases in Lake Cumberland not in the Governor’s daily report). Regardless of the confirmed case count for any Lake Cumberland County, we believe COVID-19 to be widespread. LCDHD is working to identify and contact all those with whom any positive case may have come into close contact.
In a recently published study by the Harvard Medical School (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2766121), it was concluded that COVID-19 has already proven to be many more times devastating than a normal flu season. This has happened despite a global economic shut-down and the implementation of social distancing, measures not taken during flu season.
Even in New York, one of the hardest hit areas in the U.S., it is only estimated that 20% or less of the population may have already had COVID-19. That means 80% has not. So, don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. Avoiding crowds as much as possible is your best way to reduce your risk. Wash your hands with soap and water often and thoroughly; wear a mask when out in public; stay home if you have a fever or are coughing; increase sanitation, and avoid touching your face to further reduce your risk.
