Clinton has one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in state

While the infection rate of COVID-19 appears to be slowing in Kentucky, and thankfully in Clinton County as well, we will never get over the terrible experiences of the past 12 months of pandemic life.

While for most of Clinton County’s residents, the past 12 months have meant isolation, financial hardships and even illness after becoming infected with the virus, for families of many here, the experience was the death of a loved one.

In fact, using the formula Kentucky has adopted to put all of the state’s counties on an “even keel” for comparison purposes, Clinton County’s overall mortality rate during the pandemic has been one of the worst in the state.

Using the baseline of 100,000 population to make the county to county comparison, Clinton County’s population of 10,218 residents is the figure used to come up with comparative levels for the COVID-19 statistics that Kentucky has put out since March.

Clinton County was attributed with its 29th COVID-19 related death just this week, according to the Lake Cumberland Distrtrict Health Department’s public information briefing last Thursday.

That death, however, involved a victim who died in January and has just now been identified as part of the State Department of Public Health’s effort to audit all death-related COVID-19 data.

The LCDHD says the victim, who becomes Clinton County’s 29th COVID-19 related death, was a 64 year-old individual who had been released from public health observation, but later succumbed to lasting complications from the illness.

The most recent additional death added to the roll of Clinton County residents who passed away due to the COVID-19 disease, brought the county to 283.8 deaths per 100,000 population.

That rate translates to Clinton County having been the sixth hardest hit county in the 120 county state in terms of deaths.

Clinton County trailed only Robertson, Monroe, Hopkins, Lee and Harlan counties in COVID-19 related deaths per 100,000 population.

As for the total number of COVID-19 known cases during the pandemic, Clinton County again found itself on the very worst tip of the spectrum’s span.

With 1,439 total cases as of Monday of this week, again using the population figure of 10,218, Clinto County has thus far been the third hardest hit county in Kentucky, with a 100,000 population comparison case number of 14,082.

In that category, Clinton County trailed only Lyon County with 19,130 and Lee County with 18,145 cases per 100,000 population.