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Beshear says ‘it’s time’ to end U.S. COVID emergency, set May 11, but notes expiring programs; estimated 260,000 to lose Medicaid
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Gov. Andy Beshear agreed with President Biden’s decision to end the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, a decision that will bring an end to several programs that were put in place to help people during the worst of the pandemic. “I think it’s time,” Beshear said at…
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Martin County Health Department announces two COVID-related deaths, the county’s first since March 2022
BY RACHEL DOVEMOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County has had two additional COVID-19-related deaths, the first reported since March 2022. The two deaths were announced Tuesday, bringing the county’s COVID-19 death toll to 52. The health department reported 64 new COVID-19 cases in the county were laboratory-confirmed from Dec. 20-Jan. 17, bringing the case count…
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The number of Kentucky counties with high and medium COVID-19 risk on the federal risk map made a big jump this week
BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS COVID-19 cases in Kentucky appear to be on a rough plateau overall, but the number of counties with high and medium risk of transmission on the weekly federal risk map made a big jump Thursday afternoon. The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention risk map, which looks at both…
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Without herd immunity, we need masking, ventilation, germicidal lighting, clearer messaging to prevent COVID-19
BY KEVIN KAVANAGH We all need to recognize the dangers of COVID-19 and the risks it imposes to our long-term health and our country’s workforce. Long COVID occurs in about 30% to 35% of cases. It commonly occurs with even mild disease and with reinfections. The severity is additive, with each exposure, and the symptoms…
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Martin County schools close due to illness
BY RACHEL DOVECITIZEN STAFF INEZ — Martin County students got an extra day off for the Thanksgiving break as illness forced administrators to cancel school for Tuesday. Martin County Schools Superintendent Larry James announced that all schools would be closed after attendance dropped to 68% Monday due to widespread flu, RSV and COVID-19. “Anything below…
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CDC map shows 75 counties with low risk of COVID-19 transmission
Only eight remain at high risk BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS The latest federal risk map says most of Kentucky has a low risk of COVID-19 transmission, with only eight counties at high risk and just three others moving into a higher risk category from last week. Counties that remain at high risk, shown…
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Flu shots, COVID-19 bivalent boosters available at Martin County Health Department
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT INEZ — Martin County Health Department announced flu shots and new COVID-19 bivalent boosters are available. The health department is taking walk-ins for flu shots for ages 6 months and older. Residents 65 years and older who need the high-dose flu shot should call to schedule an appointment. The health department is…
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Doctors back booster shots for recent COVID-19 variants
BY AL CROSS KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Kentucky experts largely dismissed concerns about speedy approval of the new coronavirus vaccines on “Kentucky Tonight,” a Kentucky Educational Television program, Monday night. Ilhem Messaoudi, chair of microbiology at the University of Kentucky, said she has been surprised at people who she said are “up in arms” about the…
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COVID-19 map shows 41 counties with less risk than last week, but Eastern Coal Field remains almost fully high-risk
BY AL CROSSKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS The weekly COVID-19 risk map for Kentucky took a solid turn for the better Thursday, as more than a third of the state’s counties had a lower risk level than a week earlier. Only two counties, Barren and Trigg, showed a higher level of risk on the three-level scale of…
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CDC says 108 counties have elevated COVID-19 risk
Beshear urges use of new booster vaccine BY MELISSA PATRICKKENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS The pandemic in Kentucky remains on a rough plateau, but it’s a high plateau. Seventy of Kentucky’s 120 counties have a high level of COVID-19 risk and 38 have a medium level, with very little change in the last two weeks, according to…
Category: COVID-19
