With businesses in Albany, Clinton County and across the state and nation re-opening after being forced to close in an effort to combat the Coronavirus pandemic, Kentucky and the Lake Cumberland region are beginning to experience a noticeable up-tick in positive cases.

Although officials are still reluctant to call the recent rise in cases a “spike” as of yet, the increase is certainly significant in comparison to just a few weeks ago.

On Monday afternoon of this week, the Lake Cumberland District Health Department (LCDHD) released its daily case report, noting 50 cases across the 10 county district.

That total represents an increase in the total number of active cases in the district for the seventh consecutive day and a dramatic increase in active cases from less than one month ago.

After peaking at 89 cases in the district on April 26, the curve flattened and then began a downward trend for the next four weeks, reaching a low in the district of just six cases on May 27.

Since that date, with businesses reopening in various phases in Kentucky, the number of cases has steadily risen, both across the state as well as across our own LCDHD district.

In Clinton County, there were still no active cases listed in Monday’s report, making it the only county in the 10 county district that did not have an active case, according to LCDHD.

The last active case in Clinton County was listed as a single case with a hospitalized patient who was last included in the daily totals on Thursday, June 4. The case was released and listed as “recovered” the next day.

In all, Clinton County had five cases since statistics have been kept by LCDHD during the pandemic, all of which have been listed as “recovered” with no deaths due to COVID-19.

Monday’s county by county case rate included 17 in Taylor, 11 in Pulaski, eight in Adair, four in Casey, three in Russell, three in Wayne, two in McCreary, and one each in Cumberland and Green.

Of the 50 cases across the district, 47 were listed as self-isolated, with the three hospitalized patients being two in Adair and one in Russell.

In a Sunday report, sent by LCDHD spokesperson Amy Tomlinson when seven new cases were reported, she noted that officials were hoping that the unusually high number of new cases during a weekend wasn’t a bad sign of things to come later in the week.

“It is historically unusual to add so many new cases over the weekend,” she said. “Hopefully, that isn’t an ill omen for the week ahead.”

That email also noted that in a dangerous move, officials are seeing perhaps that the public is beginning to become careless in its battle to reduce the spread of the virus.

“There is considerable public complacency with following the COVID-19 prevention guidance. With the economy largely reopened, it now falls upon us as individuals to use good judgment,” she explained in the report Monday. “Therefore, we strongly encourage everyone to wear a mask when out in public, to avoid crowds, to social distance (stay 6-feet from others), to wash their hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, to stay home if they have a fever or are coughing, to increase sanitation, and to avoid touching their faces.”

In Monday’s case number press release, Tomlinson also addressed some concerns regarding gatherings of people in large numbers, especially in regards to church numbers.

“We were asked to give an update on COVID-19 in area churches. Again, churches present a unique challenge since they encourage groups of people to stay inside a confined space for a significant period of time,” she said. “So far we have experienced cases associated with seven area churches. These have resulted in thirty-seven positive cases, six-hundred and twenty-seven close contacts, two hospitalizations, and one death.”