With more than half the month remaining, January is on pace to break the monthly record for the number of new coronavirus cases in Franklin County. This week alone 219 new coronavirus cases have been reported by the health department.
On Thursday the Franklin County Health Department confirmed 44 new COVID-19 cases, raising the monthly case count to 373. In December the county recorded 637 cases.
Currently, 276 coronavirus cases are active in Franklin County, including 229 in the general population, 25 in schools (K-12 and college students and staff) and 22 in long-term care facilities.
Twelve county residents are hospitalized with the virus and three are being treated in intensive care units.
In the 10 months since the pandemic began, 2,484 county residents have tested positive for the virus and 2,175 people have recovered. Thirty-three Franklin Countians have died while positive with COVID-19.
Franklin County remained firmly in the red zone, the most severe, after the incidence rate — which is the average daily new cases per 100,000 population over the previous seven days — fell slightly to 57.7 Thursday. Counties in the red zone have an incidence rate greater than 25. Hickman is the only one of the state's 120 counties that is not in the red zone.
The health department has administered 1,482 doses of the Moderna vaccine this week and has already used its allotted doses for this week. FCHD will find out Friday how many doses of the Moderna vaccine it will receive for next week.
“No doses are wasted,” FCHD Public Health Director Judy Mattingly said, adding that the department continues to prioritize and closely monitor state and federal guidance for vaccine distribution.
“We, along with Frankfort Regional Medical Center, have covered most health care workers in Tier 1A,” she said, adding there are still a few residential facilities left to vaccinate that FCHD learned about last week. “We will vaccinate as soon as we receive more vaccine doses.”
The director also said that most local first responders in Tier 1B have received their first dose and that vaccinations for those over 70 has begun.
“If anyone over 70 in our community would like to receive the vaccine they should sign up at fchd.org to provide their contact information,” she said.
Those without internet access should ask a family member or friend for assistance or call the health department at 502-564-7647.
Also in Tier 1B are K-12 school personnel. Tier 1C, which follows, includes essential workers.
Mattingly cautioned that without advance notice of the number of doses the health department will receive it is difficult to determine a timeline for the remaining tiers.
“Please be patient and know that as soon as we receive vaccines we will distribute immediately,” she said.
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