Vaccinations most effective way to protect yourself, city officials say
On Tuesday, Mayor Greg Fischer and Dr. Sarah Moyer, Louisville’s Chief Health Strategist, announced Louisville’s COVID-19 status has been downgraded to yellow for the first time since July 2020.
Dr. Moyer said the change is encouraging considering the state of the city being at a high-level red in the winter. She cautioned that an alert level yellow status means there is still potential for community spread and that the most effective way to protect yourself from the virus is to get vaccinated.
“Think back to last summer when we were in the yellow and how nervous we were then with the high level of disease in our community,” she said. “Vaccines are really good at preventing hospitalizations, deaths, shortening the length of this disease and preventing long-term effects. If you’re not vaccinated and are around others that aren’t vaccinated, please continue to get tested weekly especially if you have symptoms. We know that early medical intervention helps prevent hospitalization.”
Mayor Fischer said the city is beginning to have a pre-pandemic atmosphere following the capacity restrictions expanding to 75% for businesses and events, and curfew ending for bars and restaurants. The mayor said while many public health experts feel good about the upcoming summer months, residents still need to stay vigilant in following safety measures to avoid the virus spreading uncontrollably in the community.
“What we know is that we have to stay humble to this virus,” Mayor Fischer said. “Its job is to live and it’s not going to give up easily. The more people get vaccinated, the easier it will be for this virus to go away.”
Here are the key COVID-19 data metrics for the week of May 31, 2021:
- There were 391 new cases over the previous week, 9 new deaths were reported.
- Hospitalization data:
- 63 patients currently hospitalized have COVID-19, compared to 71 last week.
- 27 patients in ICU with COVID-19 as of May 31, compared to 25 the week prior
- 18 COVID-19 patients on ventilators as of May 31, compared to 16 last week.
- All hospitalized patients are unvaccinated.
- Hospitalizations rising in 40- to 50-year-olds
- 752,575 total vaccine doses given in Metro Louisville since December.
- 51% of Louisville residents have received at least one dose of vaccine and 40.2% have completed the vaccine series.
Individuals who need assistance scheduling a vaccine appointment can call the LOU Health Helpline at (502)-912-8598, or they can visit Vaccines.gov to find providers near them.
First Responder Data
Currently, six members of LMPD, Louisville Fire, Metro EMS, Metro Corrections and the Sheriff’s Office are off-duty due to COVID-19:
- 4 are off with positive tests and in self-isolation
- 1 is off and quarantined due to exposure to someone who tested positive
- 1 is off with symptoms, pending test results
Positive test numbers for first responders/public safety since the incident began:
- 570 positive tests
- 564 have fully recovered and returned to duty
Metro Corrections inmate data:
Total Tested: 8,140
Total Positive: 433
Total Recovered: 420
Total currently under medical isolation: 13
Total tests pending: 0
