Since the arrival of the omicron variant, COVID-19 cases have continued to climb in many parts of Kentucky, and Bell County is no different.

As of Jan. 1, 2022, the Bell County Health Department reported that a total of 6,362 cases had been detected in the county since the beginning of the pandemic. Now, just more than three weeks into the month, that total stands at 7,841 cases as of Jan. 24, for a total of 1,479 new cases locally since Jan. 1.

According to numbers provided by the health department in its daily report Monday, there are now currently 568 active Covid cases in Bell County. On Jan. 1, that number was 129.

The most recent report from the health department indicates that 15 people are currently hospitalized with the virus, and they range in age from 26 to 84 years old. Of those hospitalized, four are vaccinated and 11 are non-vaccinated, according to the health department.

The only number that has not climbed locally is the death total. Although Bell County has reported 100 deaths sine the beginning of the pandemic, there have been no new deaths reported since Dec. 8. The total was at 95 local deaths on Dec. 7, and five new deaths were reported on Dec. 8 to take the total to 100, where it has stood since then.

A report by the Associated Press on Jan. 18 said Kentucky reached 1 million COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early March 2020. As of Jan. 18, the state’s COVID-19 death toll was reported as 12,600 people.

Bell County Judge-Executive Alby Brock said, “Hopefully this surge will be our last and thankfully this recent variant is yielding less serious illness, especially in the vaccinated. Still, moving forward, I want to encourage those in the most vulnerable age group and those with underlying health conditions to please take extra precautions.”

Bell County Health Department Nurse Administrator Trissa Wilder said they can not identify specific variants of the virus.

“We can’t say it’s omicron, but we were expecting another surge. It’s going to peak but then it will go back down,” she said.

Wilder also encouraged social distancing, masks, and vaccinations.

In December, President Joe Biden announced that home tests would be available to Americans. Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests began shipping on Jan. 19. The government reportedly had more than 420 million tests under contract at an estimated cost of $4 billion.

To order your at-home Covid test, click this link.

https://special.usps.com/testkits