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Harlan County saw the number of new Covid-19 cases increase over the last week, following a trend along with the rest of the state.

According to the Harlan County Health Department, there were 116 new cases recorded in the area from July 18- July 24, which is up from 74 new cases reported in the county the previous week of July 11-July 17. The total number of Covid-19 cases recorded in Harlan County was 10,004 as of Monday.

According to the state’s weekly Covid-19 report released on Monday and found at www.chfs.ky.gov, Kentucky saw 15,884 new cases recorded over the last week, as well as 59 Covid-19 related deaths. There were 598 individuals hospitalized due to the virus across the state, with 84 in ICU and 33 on ventilators.

The current incidence rate map found at www.govstatus.egov.com/kycovid19 shows Harlan County in the red zone, depicting high levels of Covid-19 in the county. The recommendations for areas with a high level include staying up to date with vaccinations, wearing a well-fitting mask in all indoor public settings including K-12 schools, staying home when sick, following isolation and quarantine guidance if exposed or having Covid-19 symptoms, limiting indoor in-person gatherings, reducing the size of gatherings and encouraging physical distancing. Those at high risk should consider avoiding non-essential indoor public activities. Contact your healthcare provider to inquire about preventative treatments.

The state’s positivity rate was 19.11 percent as of Monday.