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COVID infections in Kentucky rise as students head back to school

(Photo by Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Newsday LLC/Newsday via Getty Images / NPR
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Newsday RM
(Photo by Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

COVID-19 deaths are at a low across the Commonwealth, according to the Centers for Disease Control. However, officials said the virus has not stopped spreading and can still pose a threat to vulnerable populations. Data shows early indicators, like test positivity and emergency department visits, are trending upward.

Gary Bunch is the Chief Medical Officer at UK Saint Claire. He said medical professionals are keeping a close eye on COVID trends this time of year, even while severity has seemed to decrease.

“It also is variable. Like, it’s not staying up, it seems to come and go and come and go. But the overall trend is that it is ticking upward, and so what we’re watching for is what's going to happen in the fall when schools get together,” said Bunch.

Last year, nationwide hospitalizations due to COVID trended upward once schools began session in August, with the largest peak during winter months. Bunch said as years have passed, the COVID virus itself has mutated, making up-to-date vaccines especially important.

“COVID, in general, compared to the COVID originally that we saw that killed so many people? It’s a different virus than it was in those days, but still lethal,” said Bunch.

Bunch recommended getting an updated COVID booster shot alongside the yearly flu vaccine, as both viruses gain prevalence around the same time of year. Officials said most COVID hospitalizations occur in unvaccinated people, though some vaccinated people may still be vulnerable due to pre-existing health conditions, like asthma or heart problems.

Bunch added at-home testing is now more accessible and important than ever. A new prescription medicine, Paxlovid, can be used to treat COVID symptoms when the disease is caught early.