OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - State figures released Wednesday show Nebraska has surpassed 20,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus since the outbreak began earlier this year.
The state's online virus tracker shows 155 cases were reported on Tuesday, bringing the state total to 20,201. Of the total, nearly 15,000 have recovered from the virus. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, had reached 282 by the end of Tuesday.
While Nebraska is not experiencing the surge in cases being seen in other states, some Nebraska health care providers and testing sites are reporting a shortage of testing supplies and longer wait times for test results.
A drive-thru testing site in south Omaha temporarily closed over the weekend because of a shortage of testing supplies.
Despite the shortages, state figures show Nebraska still have a large amount of space in hospitals to treat new patients. State officials said 40% of Nebraska's hospital beds, 46% of the intensive care beds and 81 percent of the ventilators in the state remained available Tuesday.
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.