 After months of ease from COVID-19, cases are continuing to trend upward without any sign of slowing down in Pike County. Right now what we're seeing is an average of 32 cases a day, so a little higher than it was the previous week. That equates to about 55 cases a day per 100,000. If you really want to normalize the data and look at it across the state and the country, we're seeing about 55 cases a day for every 100,000. According to the CDC guidelines, Pike County is currently in the red for COVID cases and has been for a few weeks now. Historically what we're seeing is that there's some sub variants to Omicron. We're seeing a lot and according to one model with the CDC about 80 percent of the current population has been infected at one time or another. Currently with the active cases, a majority almost all are Omicron sub variant B-A5. What we're seeing with that is we are seeing an easier transmission. It appears but definitely less disease severity. We're not seeing the impact on our hospitals like we were with Delta earlier on, the Delta early with Omicron. This life of time that's given to us all, it is all in our hands, it is all in our hands. Experienced heart specialists and sub specialists collaborating for the benefit of your care. Top 10 percent national hospital rankings for patient safety and heart attack and heart failure treatment. The technology is skilled to perform extraordinary complex minimally invasive cardiac electrophysiology, interventional and structural heart surgeries. This is a heart and vascular institute at Pikeville Medical Center. It is all in our hands, it is all in our hands. When it comes to your heart, place your care in our hands. It is all in our hands. While many public places do not require a mask, those who are at risk or immunocompromised are encouraged to wear a mask indoors. Typically we don't treat sick people, we're here for prevention but it is a healthcare facility so we do wear a mask indoors in other healthcare facilities and masks are being worn you know in congregate settings but according to the CDC's community labels when you're in the red if you're indoors and especially if you're in congested areas you should wear a mask particularly those who are at high risk for a poor outcome. Vaccination is still a key part of preventing the spread and severity of the disease. The data still holds true that about 90% of the deaths in Kentucky under age 60 were unvaccinated and over 60% over the age of 60 deaths in the state of Kentucky are currently remain unvaccinated. So the data clearly points to the protection of vaccination that it provides is clear you know that it saves lives decreases disease severity so I can't stress that enough and I'll continue saying it because the data in the science were there. Pike County has 320 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 and 261 active cases. For more information visit pikecountyhealth.com. For mountaintop news I'm Kelsey Deane.