OMAHA-Two new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Douglas County, according to preliminary data from the Douglas County Health Department (DCHD).This brings the total number of cases in Douglas County to 40.These latest cases involve a woman in her 30s and a woman in her 40s. The investigation by the Health Department’s Epidemiology Team is ongoing.The Health Department is advising everyone to take precautions throughout the community to avoid a COVID-19 infection, not just in locations previously listed as having the potential for exposure. It also is important to consider that many people who are sick have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. The CDC has said that four out of five people who have become ill acquired the disease from someone who didn’t know they had it. That means there are likely many more people in the community who are infected with COVID-19 than have been reported.Please increase your awareness of COVID-19 symptoms, which include a fever, cough, sore throat, or difficulty breathing. Some people have experienced a loss of their sense of taste or smell. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, or develop symptoms, contact your health care provider and tell them how you are feeling and any possible history of exposure. We ask that you call ahead before you go to the doctor’s office or an emergency room.DCHD’s information line remains open to anyone with general questions about COVID-19. That number, (402) 444-3400, is answered seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Nebraska DHHS has a COVID-19 information line open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily at (402) 552-6645. Any person who has questions outside those hours is asked to call the United Way’s 2-1-1 Resource Hotline.

Douglas County health officials report 2 more cases of COVID-19