By GRANT SCHULTE-Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - As eastern Nebraska health officials announced the state's first COVID-19 death Friday afternoon, a second death was announced in south-central Nebraska.
An Omaha man in his 50s became the first known person in Nebraska to die of COVID-19, public health officials announced Friday as the number of cases continued to rise. By Friday evening, the Central District Health Department in Hall County announced that a woman in her 60s had also died of the virus.
The Douglas County Health Department said the man suffered from serious underlying health conditions before he was diagnosed, and he appears to have been infected from a known case out of state. The man had been self-quarantined in his home since March 11, the department said in a news release.
"The family of this individual has our most sincere sympathies," said County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour. "This new disease has been in our community for only a short while, but those with co-morbidities are at greater risk of complications."
In the Hall County fatality, the woman also suffered from underlying health conditions, officials said.
The Douglas County agency also announced Friday that three new cases of the virus were confirmed in the county, bring the state's total to 87. That's up from 74 at roughly the same time Thursday.
Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Friday that he had signed an executive order to loosen licensing restrictions on doctors so that more could work in Nebraska if needed. Ricketts and local elected officials have imposed new bans on large group gatherings to try to keep the virus from overloading the state's hospitals.
"We have plenty of health care professionals to handle the current demand, but as we look down the road, we may see that we need more," Ricketts said at a news conference.
The Nebraska Health and Human Services Department also said in a news release Thursday night that 1,584 tests had come back negative. That number included results from state and commercial labs.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
Earlier Thursday, officials reported that Nebraska's initial claims for unemployment benefits skyrocketed with the rest of the nation's amid the coronavirus pandemic. The claims rose to nearly 16,000 last week from a little less than 800 the week before, according to a federal report.
Nebraska's number shattered the previous state record of 4,003 in a single week, state Labor Commissioner John Albin said. The hardest-hit workers were generally in the foodservice, health care, hospitality and retail industries, Albin said.
In other news, Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen announced that officials still plan to hold the state's May 12 primary election as scheduled.