Doctors seeing increase in COVID following Derby; Jefferson County back to ‘medium’ risk

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - More COVID cases in Louisville over the past week are being noticed by health officials due in part to travelers coming into the city.

Norton Healthcare doctors said they have seen more people come into the doctor’s office with COVID cases compared to the past week, according to internal medicine physician Dr. Monalisa Tailor.

The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health confirmed as of May 8, Jefferson County has moved back into the “medium” risk COVID-19 community-level category.

Tailor said with people gathering in large crowds, including for outdoor events, has led to more people becoming infected.

”So as we’ve all gone to our fun event and we’ve been to Derby, or Thurby, or Champions Day, all of our festival events, I think we are going to continue to see an increase in the number of COVID cases around the community,” Tailor said.

Officials said there are more traces of COVID-19 within waste water in Louisville over the past week.

According to the CDC, the number of new cases per day in Jefferson County has quadrupled since Thunder, leaving Tailor concerned what could happen after Derby weekend itself.

“We have a lot of people from all over, which is awesome and amazing, but as a result we’ve all shared our germs too,” Tailor said.

Furthermore, the omicron BA.2 variant, the current dominant strain in Louisville, has been shown to spread even in outdoor settings.

“For places like the track or any place that’s crowded, that is going to give the virus so many more opportunities to find a new place for it to be,” Tailor said.

While more cases are confirmed, Tailor said most people are not getting sick enough to go to the hospital. Numbers from the CDC confirm that suspicion. Case numbers have risen, but new hospitalization numbers have not.

Tailor urged residents over 50 are urged to get their booster vaccine dose if they haven’t already. She also said people should also see a doctor if their fever does not subside or if they have difficulty breathing.

Specific symptoms Tailor said she is seeing during this spike are chills, night sweats, sinus issues that do not subside with medication and muscle aches, particularly lower back pain. She said symptoms like loss of smell and taste seem to be less common with this strain.

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