Fayette County's COVID-19 data are among the last to be entered in the state's tracking system, according to the governor, but the local health department says it's working to increase staff as Lexington's case numbers climb.
Gov. Andy Beshear called out the Lexington Fayette County Health Department during his Thursday briefing, saying it's among the slowest to report its information to the state. He also described it as the only local health department left in Kentucky that is not utilizing contact tracing software that allows for a statewide approach to monitoring the virus.
"They stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars of CARES Act funding with that," Beshear said.
Health department spokesperson Kevin Hall says the lag in reporting is due to a need for more staff as coronavirus cases trend upward, and the agency is working to address the issue. The majority of Fayette County cases are not transmitted through electronic lab reports, he says, and have to be entered manually.
In a statement to WUKY, the spokesman added that the numbers posted to lfchd.org are the most accurate data for Lexington and there is no delay in contacting the cases.
