Bell County saw an additional 43 new individual COVID-19 cases on Monday.

According to the Bell County Health Department, Monday’s new cases put the county’s total number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic at 3,619. There were eight people hospitalized in Bell County due to the virus, and 293 active individual cases as of Monday. Bell County has reported 196 new cases since Aug. 11.

There have been 47 COVID-19 related deaths in Bell County.

Governor Andy Beshear devoted part of his Team Kentucky update on Thursday to asking unvaccinated Kentuckians to consider vaccination.

“The delta variant is the most aggressive, and it looks like it may be the most deadly, form of COVID that we have faced,” said Beshear. “If you are unvaccinated, you are at the very greatest risk that you have been at since the start of the pandemic. COVID has been the third leading cause of death in the United States over the past year and a half. Right now, it’s putting more pressure than it ever has before on our health care heroes.”

According to the state’s website at www.kentucky.gov, from March, 1 to Aug. 11, 90.5 percent of hospitalizations due to COVID-19, 88.5 of COVID-19 deaths and 89.8 percent of COVID-19 cases occurred among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Kentuckians.

Beshear announced 2,100 new cases on Monday via social media outlets. He said that in the last three days, Kentucky has seen 6,778 new case and 25 deaths.

The daily COVID-19 report states as of Monday, there were 1,528 individuals hospitalized across the state due to the virus. There were 429 people in ICU and 224 people on a ventilator.

The state’s positivity rate was 12.4 percent on Monday.

The Bell County Health Department recommends the following steps to help slow the spread of Covid 19:

• Wash hand with soap and water before eating, after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, or after using the restroom;

• Avoid contact with people who are sick;

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth;

• Wear a mask when in public and social distancing is difficult.