OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The number of coronavirus hospitalizations in Nebraska declined for the first time since late last month Saturday, but it remains at a high level.
The state said virus hospitalizations dipped Saturday to 889 from the previous day's record level of 918. That marked the first time the hospitalization figure had declined since Oct. 26 when 427 people were being treated in hospitals, but hospital capacity remains strained across Nebraska.
Nebraska's rate of new virus cases remained the sixth-highest in the nation Saturday as the state reported 1,912 new cases to give it 96,834 cases. Nebraska also reported four new deaths Saturday to increase the total to 779, according to the state's online virus tracker.
Over the past week, one person in every 134 people in Nebraska was diagnosed with COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska has nearly doubled over the past two weeks from 1,019.29 new cases per day on Oct. 31 to 2,032.71 new cases per day on Saturday.