Clinton County’s total number of active COVID-19 cases took an encouraging turn for the better in the closing days of the past week of reporting, after a sharp spike upward the week before.

Beginning the most recent seven day reporting period from the Lake Cumberland District Health Department with 61 active cases last Tuesday, the number of cases increased to a high this past week of 75 active cases on both Wednesday and Thursday.

During those two days, Clinton County saw 25 and 17 new cases being added to its rolls, respectively, while 11 and 17 cases were released from the case load on the same days.

On Friday, three more cases were released than were added, bringing the total number of active cases here to 72.

It was on Monday evening when the case count totals for Saturday, Sunday and Monday were reported that officials saw the most positive sign in terms of new case trend that had been seen in some time.

Monday’s report from LCDHD saw only four new cases being added to the totals here, while at the same time, 29 cases were removed from the Clinton County active case numbers as being released and no longer contagious.

Clinton County recorded its all time record high number of active cases during the entire pandemic just a few weeks ago when on Tuesday, August 31, the LCDHD reported 159 active cases here.

One discouraging aspect of the reports from the past week, however, was that after several days of the case reports noting there were no local COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals, there were two patients who were hospitalized as of Tuesday morning.

The reports also noted that no new deaths of Clinton County patients had been contributed to the COVID-19 disease during the past week.

To date, Clinton County has had 33 residents die from COVID-19 infections, according to totals release by the LCDHD.

Clinton County has now surpassed another discouraging milestone in terms of case numbers, as the county has now experienced over 2000 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic first began.

As of Tuesday morning, there have been 2,066 total known cases of COVID-19 involving patients from Clinton County, and the county continues to be one of the hardest hit counties in the nation per capita.

Also, while Clinton County continues to slowly see its vaccination rate rise on a somewhat steady basis, the county still trails most of the 10 county LCDHD region, as well as most of the state of Kentucky.

Currently 39.77 percent of Clinton County’s total population have received a vaccination against the COVID-19 virus.

Using a baseline population for Clinton County of 10,218, there are currently 4,064 residents who have been vaccinated, 3,948 of whom are over the age of 18, while 1,346, or 66.70 percent, of the local residents over the age of 65 have received the vaccine.

Clinton County’s total number of vaccinated residents, at just under 40 percent, compares to 61 percent of Kentucky’s total number of residents who have been vaccinated.

The nation is said to be at a 70 percent vaccination level.

Vaccinations against the virus are now readily available at several locations in Albany.

Vaccination appointments through The Med Center at Albany are available, and those vaccines are now being given on site at the local hospital.

Appointments for getting the vaccine may be obtained by texting SHOT to 606-387-3646 or by emailing AlbanyVaccine@mchealth.net, or by calling 606-387-3646 and leaving a message.

Vaccines are also now available again at the Clinton County Health Department.

Vaccination appointments through the Clinton County Health Department, or more information about the vaccines being offered and the vaccination dates and times, may be obtained by calling 606-387-5711.

Vaccines are also available at most Albany pharmacies and those seeking a vaccine are urged to call your favorite pharmacy for information.

In addition to Clinton County’s current 47 cases, numbers across the 10 county LCDHD district, along with the number of patients being treated in area hospitals in parentheses, if any, were: Adair 68 (6), Casey 52 (4), Cumberland 43 (5), Green 74 (9), McCreary 92 (7), Pulaski 205 (25), Russell 93 (3), Taylor 98 (7), Wayne 81 (7).