OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus continues to grow across Nebraska as the state reports large numbers of new COVID-19 cases.
Nebraska set another new record for COVID-19 hospitalizations Wednesday with 315 people being treated for the virus in hospitals across the state. That number exceeds the record set last weekend and remains well above the spring peak of 232 set on May 27, according to the state's online virus tracker.
Officials with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services have said they are monitoring hospital capacity closely, but so far hospitals are managing the patient load OK. The state said 24% of Nebraska's intensive care beds and 76% of the state's ventilators remained available Wednesday.
Nebraska continues to have the seventh-highest rate of new cases, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. The seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Nebraska increased over the past two weeks from 13.01% on Sept. 29 to 13.28% on Tuesday.
The state reported 704 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday to give Nebraska 53,543 cases since the pandemic began. Five new deaths were also reported to give the state 527 deaths linked to the virus.