OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus in Nebraska has dropped below 600 for the first time since late October.
Nebraska said 598 people across the state were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Saturday. The last time that figure was below 600 was on October 30, and that total remains well below the peak of 987 reached on Nov. 20.
The state reported 670 new cases of the virus Saturday to raise the total to 155,415 since the pandemic began. There have also been 1,475 deaths linked to the virus.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska decreased over the past two weeks, going from 1,751.29 new cases per day on Dec. 5 to 1,124 new cases per day on Saturday.
Also Saturday, the state Department of Correctional Services said nine more prison staff members had tested positive for the virus. Six of those work at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution, two work at the Omaha Community Corrections Center and one works at the Lincoln Correctional Center.
The state said a total of 439 corrections employees have contracted the virus. Of those, 338 have recovered.
As of Friday, 855 inmates had tested positive for the virus and 6 had died. The state said most of those inmates, 720 of them, have recovered from their illnesses.