Huge drop in new Covid-19 cases in Omaha and the Douglas County area, local health officials confirm
OMAHA, Nebraska — The Douglas County Health Department announced on Thursday that they had received 271 additional positive COVID-19 tests since their previous report on Tuesday, which said that there were 504 new cases. On Thursday of last week, the county’s health service recorded 419 new cases in the area. Since March of the year 2020, there have been a total of 168,356 confirmed cases.
The reported case numbers do not include results from any at-home tests. Residents of Douglas County are nevertheless encouraged by the county health department to submit the findings of any at-home tests they do because county health officials do check these results.
Since Tuesday, DCHD reports receiving information on three additional deaths that may be related to COVID-19. Two unvaccinated men, one in his 50s and the other in his 80s, both passed away as a result of their lack of vaccination. A woman in her 70s who had been vaccinated also passed away. At this time, there have been 1,174 people lose their lives due to complications associated with COVID-19 in Douglas County during the pandemic.
Every Monday and Thursday, the Omaha Metropolitan Healthcare Coalition provides the Douglas County Health Department with an up-to-date COVID-19 case count as well as a hospital occupancy report. This coalition serves the counties of Douglas, Sarpy, Saunders, Dodge, and Washington in Nebraska in addition to hospitals in Council Bluffs and Missouri Valley in Iowa. Patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 and patients hospitalized due to any and all other illnesses and injuries are included in the total data, unless otherwise specified.
The most recent information regarding local hospitals that was sent to DCHD on Wednesday was as follows:
- There were 135 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 including one pediatric case.
- Twenty adults were receiving ICU-level care.
- There were five additional COVID-19 persons of interest and all of them were adults.
- Three people who were confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19 were on a ventilator.
- Medical and surgical beds were occupied at an 84% rate with 224 staffed beds available.
- Adult ICU beds were occupied at an 82% rate with 53 staffed beds available.
- Pediatric ICU beds were at 89% of capacity with 15 beds available.
