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Coronavirus cases in Clark County have now surpassed 200 as Kentucky has seen a surge in positive COVID-19 tests this month.

Last Thursday, the county had 14 cases, one of its highest daily counts. Five of those have been attributed to a cluster outbreak at a church camp in Marysville, Ohio, and subsequent worship services at Pilgrim Holiness Church in Winchester.

The Health Department reported only one new virus case last Friday, but that one brought the number of positive tests for the virus in the county so far this year to 200. There was another one on Saturday and three more on Sunday.

On Monday, the department reported five more cases, and on Tuesday, five more cases were reported, bringing the county’s total to 213. 

Of those cases, 36 are active cases. Of the active cases, one is a resident of Fountain Circle, two are employees of Fountain Circle and 33 represent members of the community at large.

So far, seven people in the county have died of the illness.

Public Health Director Becky Kissick said in a Facebook post Monday that one of the 26 false positive results in the University of Kentucky Healthcare tests reported July 23 involved one of the Clark County residents who had tested positive July 9.

In his press conference Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced 522 new cases of the virus in Kentucky, bringing the state’s total to 28, 126. He also announced nine new deaths.

The on Tuesday, 532 more cases and 10 more deaths were announced.

Among the new cases, more than 20 involved children under 5 years, including an 11-day-old newborn, a 2-month-old and a 7-month-old. 

“We’re seeing a disturbing trend in the age of cases,” he said. “That’s not the only one under the age of 1.”

He reported that more than 7,000 of the state’s total cases have recovered.

There have been 719 deaths in the state attributed to the virus.

Of the active cases, 609 are currently hospitalized, with 131 in the intensive care unit, Beshear reported Monday. More than 700 Kentuckians have died from complications of the virus.

Additionally, 599,251 tests have been performed in the state, with a 5.08 percent positivity rate.

In Kentucky, the majority of cases involve patients in the 20 to 29 age range with more than 5,000 cases in that range reported in the state.

However, the majority of deaths involve patients in the 80 or older range, with approximately 350 deaths in that age range.

Locally, the majority of cases involve those in the 18 to 29 range, followed closely by those in the 70 to 79 range.

At least 7, 470 Kentuckians have recovered from the virus.

Beshear also announced new steps in the state’s fight against COVID-19 Monday.

He said free-standing bars would be closed for at least two weeks effective today, and restaurants would be required to reduce indoor seating capacity to 25 percent. Restaurants with outdoor seating can have unlimited capacity as long as social distancing is maintained.

Beshear said there recommendations came after a meeting with Dr. Deborah Birx, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

According to the Kentucky COVID-19 website, a travel advisory remains in effect for those who travel to Alabama, Florida, Idaho, South Carolina, Mississippi, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Texas. State health officials recommend a 14-day self-quarantine for visitors to these states after they return home to Kentucky.