OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - At least five soldiers and one police officer who helped with crowd control at recent protests in Omaha and Lincoln have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said.
Nearly 600 members of the Nebraska National Guard were assigned to assist law enforcement agencies beginning May 31 following several nights of protests in Nebraska after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The National Guard announced earlier this week that it would test all its personnel who had been on duty in Omaha and Lincoln after two members tested positive.
The Nebraska National Guard said Tuesday that a total of five of its members who worked the protests have now tested positive. The Lincoln Police Department said one officer also tested positive.
Nebraska prisons officials meanwhile announced that another prison staffer tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of staffers infected across the state prison system to 19. The state Department of Correctional Services also announced late Tuesday that it would offer coronavirus testing to all state inmates, even those who don't have symptoms.
That announcement came after seven inmates at the Omaha Community Corrections Center recently tested positive for the virus.
Numbers provided by Nebraska state health officials show three new COVID-19 deaths were reported Tuesday, bringing the state's death toll to 191. Nebraska's online coronavirus tracker also shows 121 new cases were reported Tuesday, bringing the state's total to 15,883.
More then 125,000 people in Nebraska have been tested, and hospital capacity appeared relatively stable, with 42% of hospital beds, 43% of intensive care unit beds and 78% of ventilators available for use.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.