Dr. Mark Barns of UofL recommends taking a COVID-19 booster and flu shot together this fall. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE — COVID-19 is “alive and well” in Kentucky, cautions infectious disease expert Dr. Mark Burns, as hospitalizations for the virus rise and students and teachers head back to school.
Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services data shows an uptick in emergency department visits and hospitalizations from COVID-19 as of Aug. 1.
Hospitalizations last month were more than double what they were the year before. In July of last year, there were 292 hospitalizations for the virus in Kentucky, up to 438 this July.
Also in July 2023, there were 736 emergency room visits for COVID-19, up to 1,704 last month.
This comes as the virus is on the rise in Kentucky, among 35 other states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Much of the country, especially the South and Midwest, is seeing increased numbers of the COVID-19 virus ahead of the new school year and holiday season.