Jefferson County is reporting its highest COVID-19 case count in months, although the county remains at a medium level of spread according to the CDC’s monitoring system.
The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness reported over 3,800 new COVID cases over the past week, a high not seen since February when the first omicron wave started to trend down.
The number doesn’t reflect at-home tests, which are not always reported.
The CDC issued a new community model for spread earlier this year, which uses COVID infections and hospitalizations to determine risk in an area. Green is the lowest level of spread, and red the highest.
Hospitalizations haven’t increased as quickly as cases in Jefferson County, which is likely why the county remains in the yellow for severity of spread.
As of Friday, around a quarter of Kentucky counties were in the yellow, with only McCracken County in Western Kentucky in the red.
The CDC recommends those in yellow counties consider universal masking in indoor group settings. Those at high risk for severe illness should consider wearing a mask in all indoor settings and talk to their doctors about other precautions.
In all color categories, the CDC says people should stay up to date with vaccinations, stay home if sick and get tested if they have COVID symptoms.
