LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Positivity rates and case counts for COVID-19 are hitting all-time highs. WHAS 11 has been watching the rise and have put some graphs together to put it all in perspective.
KENTUCKY
More than 11,000 new COVID cases were reported Friday, Jan. 7.
Kentucky is reporting a 24.45% 7-day positivity rate. That means nearly one in four people tested are infected with COVID.
Here is a look at Kentucky's weekly case growth.
Each bar on this graph shows the new cases reported each week.
At the left, you can see where Kentucky was about this time last year. The latest information shows a major difference between now and then.
More than 43,000 new cases were reported just this week. That is a new record high and new cases nearly doubled compared to last week.
INDIANA
At the far right, you can see the steep rise of infection as the bars jump up.
Indiana Department of Health is updating its data dashboard so the final bar on the far right is one day shy of a 7-day-week.
WHAT TO WATCH
A portion of these people will need hospital treatment.
Roughly 4% of those infected in Kentucky need hospital treatment, according to Kentucky Department of Public Health data.
The Regenstrief Institute in Indiana estimates about 8% of COVID patients are hospitalized.
Historically, case increases are followed by increases in hospitalizations.
It can take several days or a few weeks for a patient's illness to escalate enough that they will need to be admitted to the hospital. These record-setting case counts could be a precursor for record-setting hospitalizations.
Thankfully, most will recover without a hospital stay, but a small portion of a large number could be a threat to healthcare capacity.
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