OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The number of deaths linked to the coronavirus has topped 600 in Nebraska, and the number of people hospitalized with the virus in the state remains near record levels as the recent surge of new cases continues.
Nebraska health officials reported seven new deaths Monday to give the state 603 deaths linked to COVID-19. The number of virus cases grew by 702 to reach 64,499 since the pandemic began, and the rate of new cases ranked eighth-highest in the nation.
The state also said 427 people are hospitalized with the virus, which is just below the record of 436 that was set on Saturday. But 36% of the state's intensive care beds and 35% of all the hospital beds remained available across Nebraska, according to the state's online virus tracker.
The rate of new cases per 100,000 Nebraska residents over the past two weeks increased to 604.37 on Monday, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska has increased over the past two weeks from 653.57 new cases per day on Oct. 12 to 818.43 new cases per day on Monday.