LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Health Department officials said Tuesday that more patients than ever are hospitalized with COVID-19.
As of this week, the health department said 413 patients are in the hospital and positive for COVID-19 in Louisville. But health leaders said not all of them were admitted for COVID-19. Some were admitted for other illnesses and happened to also have COVID-19.
Norton Children's Hospital confirmed 27 kids have the virus there, an increase from the hospital's usual number. On Jan. 1, the hospital had 12 children hospitalized and positive for COVID-19.
The health department is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated against the virus, saying the vast majority of people hospitalized are unvaccinated.
"We talk about omicron being mild, but I'm not sure you want to roll those dice and count that you're going to be in the mild group," said Dr. SarahBeth Hartlage, associate medical director for Louisville's health department. "And even those who are relatively mild who don't wind up requiring hospitalization or even medical attention still feel really crummy for some time."
Health officials are reporting that 73.1% of Louisville residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine while 62.9% have completed the vaccine series. Around 40% of Louisville residents have received a booster dose.
The health department also said the case count continues to increase in the county, confirming 16,287 cases in the past week, the highest ever weekly total since the start of the pandemic.
"Our incidence rate is 303 cases per 100,000 of the population," Hartlage said. "We have logged over 20,000 new cases since New Year's Day. Put that another way, almost 3% of all Jefferson County residents of all ages have tested positive for COVID ... in 2022 alone."
Local doctors estimate 1 in 15 people people are infected with COVID-19 currently in Jefferson County.
Health officials continue to encourage anyone who develops symptoms to get tested. That can be done at any number of locations, including the newly opened mass testing site at Churchill Downs. That site opened Monday and tested nearly 1,300 in one day. The site has the capacity to conduct 5,000 tests a day.
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