OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Health officials in Nebraska reported more deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state's overall death toll to at least 13.
Lincoln reported that the city's first death from the coronavirus. Hours earlier, officials in Douglas County reported two deaths in the Omaha area, including a woman in her 70s and another woman in her 90s who was a long-term care resident at the hard-hit Douglas County Health Center. The long-term care center has seen 15 residents and 10 employees test positive for the disease; two residents there have died.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services also gave some details of two deaths reported earlier. One was a woman in her 60s from Hall County and the other was a man in his 80s from Custer County.
The number of cases statewide had risen to 519 as of midday Wednesday. More than 7,440 residents have tested negative.
For most people, COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illnesses.
News of the new cases follows Nebraska officials' warning Tuesday of an uptick in child abuse cases amid isolation measures meant to stymie the spread of the virus.
Gov. Pete Ricketts said he signed an executive order that would allow Nebraska's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients to collect the benefit for an extra six months. Stephanie Beasley, director of Nebraska's Child and Family Services Division, noted a number of concerning trends in the wake of the outbreak, including a 35% spike in March of SNAP applications from the previous month.