By MELODIE PHELPS
News Editor
Wayne County's number of COVID-19 cases has remained steady for more than a week and a half, according to information released by the Lake Cumberland District Health Department.
Four people in Wayne County have tested positive for coronavirus.
Two of those cases remained active on Monday, April 13, when the Lake
Cum-berland District Health Department released their latest update
on the COVID-19.
Both Wayne County patients remain hospitalized. The other two
individuals have been released from isolation, according to health
officials.
As of April 13, there were a total of 68 current cases in the Lake
Cumberland area. That means these cases were active. All total there
have been 102 cases in the 10-county area.
Adair County has had a large number of people test positive over a
short period of time, and they have the largest number of cases in
the Lake Cum-berland area at this time, with a total of 40 active.
Overall, Adair County has had 44 people test positive for COVID-19.
Officials have indicated that there has been a nursing home in Adair
County which has been hit hard by the virus and accounts for the
spike in cases in that area.
Of the 40 active cases, eight people are hospitalized and an
additional 32 people have been self-isolated. One has been released
from care and the county has also recorded one death from COVID-19.
Pulaski County has had a total of 31 cases overall, with 11 active
at this time. All eleven of those patients are self-isolated. They
have recorded two deaths in Pulaski County from COVID-19.
Shawn Crabtree, Exe-cutive Director for the Lake Cumberland District
Health Department, ad-dressed media members during a press conference
on Wednesday, April 8 noting that this is a "rapidly changing
situation" from day to day.
Crabtree noted that many health care providers in the area are in
need of protective equipment and he urged anyone who could donate
these items to do so through the health department.
The district has received two distributions from the Strategic
National Stockpile and delivered the personal protective equipment to
Emergency Operations Centers.
Since Crabtree noted that health providers belief that COVID-19 is
widespread across the area, they continue to stress the same actions
that have been discussed over the past few weeks.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are
not available use a hand sanitizer.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick with a fever,
coughing, sneezing and have difficulty breathing.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in
the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using
a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• If you are over 60 or have underlying medical conditions that may
make catching the disease more dangerous, please stay home as much
as possible at this time.
• Purchase several weeks' worth of medications and supplies in case
you need to stay home for prolonged periods of time and to decrease
the number of trips to purchase supplies.
People are also being asked to practice social distancing of at
least six feet from others in public.
Following are some of the questions that were asked to the panel of
health officials who participated in the press conference.
• Are we going to be able to get more tests for the public or are
tests being done only when a person goes into the hospital?
Testing capacity across the state is increasing. Some private
providers as well as most hospitals have the ability to test now. An
individual does not have to be hospitalized to be tested, but we do
suggest people call their provider to ask about the availability of
testing at a specific location before showing up to be tested.
• What is the process for a reported case of COVID 19?
The healthcare facility is required to report the positive lab to
the local health department as outlined in KAR 20.020.
• Are positive tests tracked by county of residence or where the
test was given? Is it possible a positive test listed for one county
may be someone living in another?
Positive tests are reported by the county of residence of the
patient. Occasionally, tests are reported incorrectly, but rarely.
• Could you explain the recommendation for using cloth masks at this
time? Do the paper masks (like people use while mowing etc.) work at
all?
Surgical masks, cloth masks, and masks used in industry or mowing
providing a physical barrier for respiratory droplets which are
expelled when an infected person coughs, sneezes or exhales
forcibly. They do not filter out aerosolized particles thus not
recommended when such procedures as intubation, suctioning of sick
patients or when using nebulizer.
• If an employee of a small essential business were to test positive
what is the protocol at that point? Would the entire business be
shut down?
It may vary for each business, due to exposure, distance and the employee being symptomatic.
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