LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The number of people filing new unemployment claims in Nebraska surged last week to its highest level in nearly two months, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The department said 6,143 people filed initial claims for benefits during the week that ended July 4. That's a roughly 46% increase over the 4,203 new claims filed the previous week.
Nebraska Department of Labor officials said other Midwestern states saw increase as well. They also noted that the number of continuing unemployment claims decreased last week. Nebraska saw 53,673 regular unemployment claims last week, a decrease of 4.5% from the the prior week, when 56,219 claims were filed.
"We continue to analyze the claim numbers and track the progression of all claims to see what trends emerge," said State Labor Commissioner John Albin.
Nebraska's online virus tracker shows that the number of positive cases jumped by 224 on Wednesday, bringing the state total to 20,425 since the pandemic started. Of the total, more than 15,000 have recovered from the virus. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, remained unchanged Wednesday at 282.
State figures also show Nebraska with room remaining in hospitals to treat new patients. State officials said 39% of Nebraska's hospital beds, 46% of the intensive care beds and 78% of the ventilators in the state were available Wednesday.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms 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.