Lexington is reporting 10 times as many COVID-19 cases as it was on July 1

The rolling seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in Lexington has jumped to 71 after being as low as seven on July 1, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

The spike includes 210 cases that were reported between Saturday and Monday, according to the health department. Thirteen new hospitalizations were also reported. Lexington has reported 932 COVID-19 cases in July. The city is on pace to report more new infections this month than in May and June combined.

The health department on Tuesday continued to ask people to get vaccinated. Most infections are in unvaccinated residents.

“While there’s still a chance a fully vaccinated person can get COVID-19, symptoms will likely be less severe & the need for hospitalization is much smaller,” the health department said in a tweet.

Lexington has seen an increase in “breakthrough” infections recently, in which a fully vaccinated person gets infected. But the rate of infections among fully-vaccinated people is still less than 1 percent in Fayette County, based on population and vaccination data.

Since February, 94 percent of Lexington’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have been residents who weren’t fully vaccinated, according to the health department. Local hospitals have experienced significant increases in emergency room visits and hospitalizations but they treat patients from other counties, too.

About 65.4 percent of Fayette County residents have gotten at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 56.3 percent of the county’s residents are fully vaccinated.

The local health department is set to host two vaccine clinics this week in partnership with the Fayette County Public Schools. The first clinic is being held Wednesday from 1 to 6 p.m. at Crawford Middle School. The second is being held Thursday from 1 to 6 p.m. at Southern Middle School. Both will accept walk-ins and will be open to ages 12 and older.

The health department also hosts a vaccine clinic with same-day appointments every Monday. Those interested can call 859-288-2483 to schedule an appointment.