LINCOLN – Four additional deaths related to COVID-19 were reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) today.
One death occurred in Hall County - https://www.facebook.com/cdhd.ne.gov/ - and one in Adams County, a man in his 60s with underlying health conditions - https://southheartlandhealth.org/news-events/current-news/ .
The third death occurred in Colfax County, a man in his 60s with underlying health conditions - https://www.facebook.com/ecdhd/ .
A fourth death was also reported. More details will be forthcoming as they become available.
In addition, further information is available related to a death announced by DHHS yesterday evening. The deceased individual, a man in his 40s, was a Douglas County resident.
The total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the state to date is 86, according to the DHHS data dashboard.
The first COVID-19 case in Thomas County was also reported to DHHS.
The Dakota County Health Department reported earlier today that due to technical difficulties it would not be able to provide a daily case update. The health department and DHHS are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
The state case total, as of 5:45 p.m. Central Daylight Time, is 6,771. Nebraska's COVID-19 case totals are updated daily at http://dhhs.ne.gov/coronavirus. Local health departments are reporting deaths and cases in their jurisdictions. In the event of a discrepancy between DHHS dashboard data and deaths or cases reported by local public health officials, data reported by the local health department should be considered the most up to date.
Governor Pete Ricketts has announced changes to some of the state's Directed Health Measures, including re-openings of selected businesses in specific regions of Nebraska. The new DHM updates can be found by clicking here . Not sure which local health department is yours? A map is available by clicking here .
Governor Ricketts recently announced TestNebraska , a public-private partnership designed to increase testing capacity and #CrushTheCurve in Nebraska. TestNebraska launched this week in Grand Island and Omaha and additional mobile testing sites are expected to become available shortly.
The Governor is urging all Nebraskans to take the assessment provided on the TestNebraska website to help identify cases of COVID-19 in the state. After taking the assessment, participants who fit the criteria will be notified via phone or email that they qualify to be tested for COVID-19. Nebraskans can take the assessment at https://www.testnebraska.com/ . Because people can develop symptoms quickly, Nebraskans are asked to update their assessments from time to time as needed.
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 or toll-free at (833) 998-2275; hours of operation are 8 a.m.-8 p.m. CDT, 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 .