LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky's COVID-19 cases continue to climb as the state reports its highest week of new cases since September and its highest-ever positivity rate.
Gov. Andy Beshear is encouraging vaccinations and boosters, saying that will help hospitals from being overwhelmed during the surge.
This comes as the state reports its highest week ever for new cases of the virus, according to the governor, with 52,603 new cases total reported last week. That's 22,000 more cases than the last highest week, the first week of September 2021, when 30,680 cases were reported, Beshear said.
"Omicron is significantly more contagious than even the delta variant, and if it spreads at the rate we're seeing, it is certainly going to fill up our hospitals," he said during a briefing Monday about the state's response to the omicron surge.
Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack says universal masking should be required in schools.
“Most importantly, universal masking is essential with omicron," he said. "If universal masking is not required in K-12 schools, omicron will spread rapidly and result in rapid and massive student and staff absences to due illness.”
The Kentucky National Guard is being deployed to 30 health care facilities across the state to help with staffing shortages as 5,049 new cases were reported Monday in Kentucky. State data shows 1,873 people are currently hospitalized with the virus. Fourteen deaths related to the virus were also reported Monday.
The state's positivity rate sits at 26.33% as of Monday, the highest-ever test positivity rate in the state, Beshear said.
As of Monday, the state's seven-day COVID-19 incidence rate map showed all but one of Kentucky's 120 counties in red, which means the rate is high at more than 25 per 100,000 people are testing positive for the virus.
To date, 932,552 Kentuckians have tested positive for COVID-19, according to state data, with 12,425 deaths related to the virus.
As of Monday, Beshear said 63% of all Kentuckians had received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, 67% of Kentuckians age 5 and older and 74% of all Kentucky adults, according to a news release.
For a breakdown of the state's current cases, click here.
For more information about the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including information on testing sites and vaccines, click here.
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