Officials urge precautions as COVID-19 cases rise in young adults in Louisville, Lexington

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Both Louisville and Lexington are seeing increases in the number of young adults testing positive for COVID-19, prompting health officials in the state's two largest cities to issue warnings.

With the July Fourth holiday weekend ahead, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer urged people, especially younger adults, to take precautions such as wearing face masks and keeping a safe distance from others if they attend gatherings or flock to newly reopened bars and restaurants.

"Please, please, please do not act as if there is no virus," Fischer said at a news briefing Thursday, citing soaring rates of COVID-19 in several other states where young people have congregated at bars or on beaches. "We're very fortunate, but we know it could change in five days."

In Louisville, positive tests for COVID-19 among adults ages 20-44 began rising in early May, peaking around 180 daily cases, according to Rui Zhao, chief epidemiologist for the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness.

Cases in that age group continue to outpace any others and now account for about half of all positive COVID-19 tests in Louisville.

"While these trends are preliminary, it's not a good sign," Zhao said. "We don't know what's in store for us."

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Lexington this week reported the COVID-19-related death of a 30-year-old with no underlying health conditions. July began with 46 total cases on Wednesday, the largest single-day count to date, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

Cases also are starting to "trend younger" among those ages 18-34, accounting for about one-third of all cases at the end of June, said department spokesman Kevin Hall.

"We're trying to reach people in that age range to make sure they know they're not immune to this disease," Hall said.

Lexington health officials also have identified cases among several people who recently traveled to Florida and South Carolina, popular vacation destinations where COVID-19 cases are soaring.

Hall said Lexington officials are stressing the message that people infected with COVID-19 can have no symptoms and feel fine yet present a risk to those around them.

"They could be the asymptomatic carrier and have no idea they are sick and spread it others," Hall said.

Statewide reports do not show a significant, recent increase in young adults testing positive for the virus. For example, adults ages ages 20-39 accounted for 32% of the cases two weeks ago and 33% on June 30.

Overall the state's rate of positive tests remains low, around 3.7%, but Gov. Andy Beshear warned at a news conference Tuesday that if people don't exercise care, Kentucky could wind up like other states, where rates of positive tests have soared to 20% or higher.

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"It could change very quickly," he said.

In that event, Kentucky would have to consider rolling back reopenings of bars, restaurants, stores and other establishments, he said.

Zhao said it's especially frustrating to hear reports from other states, such as news stories this week about "COVID parties" among college students in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, who exposed themselves to the virus. The first person to get sick wins a pool of money.

Zhao called that "ridiculous and careless."

"Those are the kinds of attitudes we do not want in our community," Zhao said.

Part of the local increase could be that more young adults are getting tested as COVID-19 tests become more widely available, Zhao said. At the outset of the pandemic in Kentucky, scarce tests were reserved for people ill with suspected COVID-19 or for older people at higher risk for complications from the illness.

But that isn't enough to fully account for the increase, he said.

Zhao said officials don't believe the recent Louisville demonstrations over racial injustice that have drawn large crowds of young people account for the increase because the trend began before the first demonstrations began.

Rather, Zhao said, health officials suspect the increase in young adults is likely because of warmer weather and the recent reopening of bars and restaurants, which began in late May with restrictions on capacity.

"We'll have a much better picture two weeks or maybe three weeks from now," he said.

More coverage:Kentucky continues to reopen but COVID-19 threat remains

Louisville now stands at 3,880 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and 211 related deaths. 

Fischer said he was alarmed on a recent evening drive along Bardstown Road in the Highlands — a popular site for restaurants and bars — to see crowds clustered outside.

"The bars were very full," he said. "I was very concerned about the lines of people waiting to get in."

Health officials are hoping young adults heed their warnings about the virus and the need to limit exposure to others, stay out of crowds, wear a face mask in public and wash hands often.

That includes Zhao, 33.

"I hope my fellow 20- to 44-year-olds will realize we are not invincible," he said. "People tend to view their health behaviors as a risk to themselves. But it's also a risk to others."

Reach Deborah Yetter at dyetter@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4228. Find her on Twitter at @d_yetter. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.