COVID Update for Henderson, Kentucky and Green River District

HENDERSON, Ky. — The Green River District Health Department on Tuesday reported 170 new cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths in the seven-county area over the previous week.

Daviess County accounted for 84 of those cases. Henderson had 41, Union 17, Ohio 10, Hancock seven, Webster seven and McLean four. The seven deaths were two residents of Daviess, two from Hancock and one each from Henderson, Union and Webster counties.

The seven-day average is now 24.3 new cases per day. On January 28, that number peaked at 849 cases per day and has been steadily declining since.

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The 170 new cases in Tuesday’s report were investigated between February 28 and March 6. With the number of cases falling, the health department reverted to weekly updates.

Six of the health district’s seven counties — Henderson, Union, Daviess, Hancock, Webster and Ohio — are now designated “orange” for substantial risk by the Kentucky Department for Public Health. McLean County is marked “yellow” for moderate risk.

The state’s incidence rate is 16.88 cases per capita, the sixth highest figure in the country. There have been more than 1.3 million cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky since the start of the pandemic, with 14,136 known COVID-related deaths.

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According to new masking guidelines from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, COVID levels in all US counties are now classified as low, medium or high. The CDC continues to recommend indoor masking in areas considered high risk and optional masking in low- or medium-risk counties.

In its latest March 4 update, the CDC currently classifies Daviess, Henderson, McLean, Webster, Hancock, and Ohio counties as “medium” spread areas while the Union is considered “high.”

The health department recommends that residents:

• Wear a properly fitted mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status;
• Stay up to date with available COVID-19 vaccines and boosters;
• Continue to follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine if you are exposed or have symptoms.

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The GRDHD recommends that those who are immunocompromised or at high risk take extra precautions, including having a plan for early testing and talking to your health care provider about potential treatments if you become infected.

Henderson Mask Policies

Henderson County Schools amended their Healthy at School plan on February 17, making face masks optional for students and staff on school grounds during class hours. Universal masking remains in practice on school buses due to the federal mandate. The school system said its mask policy is data-driven and therefore subject to change.

The city of Henderson adopted a mask-optional policy last week in light of new CDC guidelines for medium-risk counties. Masking is still mandatory on public transport due to the federal mandate which is due to expire on March 18.

COVID Vaccine Information

Kentucky residents can visit vaccine.ky.gov to find a vaccine location and sign up to receive update notifications. Additional information about the COVID-19 vaccine is available at vaccines.gov.

Retail pharmacies and health centers are also providing COVID-19 vaccines. Kentucky COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard and Information: https://govstatus.egov.com/ky-covid-vaccine Kentucky COVID-19 Hotline: 800-722-5725 can answer general questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.