LINCOLN – Three new COVID-19 related deaths were reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Thursday, bringing the state's COVID-19 death toll to 24, according to the agency's COVID-19 Dashboard.
Two deaths were reported in Gage County. Both were residents of an assisted living facility. The first resident was a female in her 80s. The second was a male in his 70s with multiple underlying health conditions. https://www.facebook.com/PHSHealthDept
Douglas County saw its eighth death, that of a man in his 70s with multiple underlying health conditions. https://www.douglascountyhealth.com/
The East Central Public Health Department announced that an individual in Nance County has been diagnosed with the virus, marking that county's first case - https://www.facebook.com/ecdhd/.
Today's state case total, as of 5:40 pm Central Daylight Time, is 1,066. DHHS launched a new data dashboard that updates the state's COVID-19 case totals daily. You can find it at http://dhhs.ne.gov/coronavirus. Local health departments are reporting cases and deaths in their jurisdictions. In the event of a discrepancy between DHHS dashboard data and cases and deaths reported by local public health officials, data reported by the local health department should be considered the most up to date.
All 93 Nebraska counties are now covered by state Directed Health Measures (DHMs). http://dhhs.ne.gov/coronavirus. It's critical that Nebraskans follow these enforceable state Directed Health Measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the state. These measures help protect each other and those who are more vulnerable to severe illness and death, and help hospitals and clinics from being overwhelmed so they can continue to provide care to families, friends and neighbors who need it.
In addition to the state-issued DHM, some Local Health Departments have issued additional restrictions - http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/COVID-19-Directed-Health-Measures.aspx
DHHS supports Governor Ricketts in urging Nebraskans to follow the Six Rules to Keep Nebraska Healthy.
- Stay home. No non-essential errands and no social gatherings. Respect the ten-person limits.
- Socially distance your work. Work from home or use the six-foot rule as much as possible in the workplace.
- Shop alone. Do this only once a week and do not take your family with you.
- Help kids social distance. Play at home, no group sports and no playgrounds.
- Help seniors stay at home. This can be done by shopping for them. Do not visit long-term facilities.
- Exercise daily. Do your best to stay as healthy and safe as you can.
Recent studies show that a significant portion of people with COVID-19 lack symptoms and those who eventually develop symptoms can pass the virus to others before showing symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (grocery stores, pharmacies, etc.) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-faq.html .
Cloth face coverings are not a substitute for social distancing. Public health officials continue to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing is crucial to slowing the spread of the virus.
Here's where to find tools and resources for individuals and families, schools, communities, businesses, healthcare facilities, and first responders on the DHHS website - http://dhhs.ne.gov/coronavirus and CDC's website – https://www.cdc.gov/covid19 .
DHHS opened a statewide COVID-19 information line to help answer general questions and share the latest information and resources with Nebraskans to help keep them informed. The number is (402) 552-6645; hours of operation are 8 a.m.-8 p.m. CST, 7 days a week.
DHHS will continue to update Nebraskans through the DHHS website and on Facebook and Twitter as we have new information. The CDC's website is also a good resource for COVID-19 information - https://www.cdc.gov/covid19 .