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Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Watch now: Lancaster County virus risk dial remains red as infection rate, hospitalizations still concerning - Lincoln Journal Star

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Lancaster County will remain in the red category on the coronavirus risk dial for the ninth straight week.

The local positivity rate has bounced back up, the number of new cases has risen again and hospitalizations have not yet fallen to their pre-Thanksgiving levels, Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Director Pat Lopez said Tuesday. 

"This past week we have continued to see indicators moving in the wrong direction," Lopez said during the weekly virus briefing. 

On Tuesday, the Health Department reported three more Lancaster County residents had died of the coronavirus and 187 residents have contracted COVID-19. 

The Health Department identified the deceased as two women, one in her 40s and another in her 90s, and a man in his 70s who was in a long-term care facility. 

With their deaths, the local pandemic toll climbed to 161 — with 82 deaths recorded since Dec. 1. 

Testing has decreased, Lopez said, and she worried some of that may stem from people who avoided testing during the holidays. 

Still, the coronavirus remains prevalent, with a positivity rate that peaked at nearly 34% for the week ending Dec. 4, dropped to 26% around Christmas, but has rebounded these past two weeks to nearly 34%.

Total cases have followed a similar trend, peaking Dec. 4, dropping, but then showing an uptick as January unfolds, according to the Health Department. 

As a result, the number of new cases in Lancaster County over the past week ranks in the top 20 of all Nebraska counties. The state's second-largest county has consistently ranked in the mid-range of counties throughout the pandemic.

Lopez and Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird encouraged residents to remain vigilant with their precautions despite the arrival of the hope-inspiring vaccine that will usher in the end of the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Lincoln hospitals cared for 100 COVID-19 patients, including 65 Lancaster County residents and six people who were on ventilators, according to the Health Department. 

Dr. Michael Rapp, CHI St. Elizabeth vice president of medical operations, said hospital staff remained concerned that holiday gatherings may cause cases to spike again. 

The last surge taxed hospital staff and threatened hospital capacity, Rapp said. 

Some elective medical surgeries remain on hold to ensure the hospital systems continue to have capacity, Lopez said.

"If we get another wave or surge, we will again be stressed," Rapp said. 

Reach the writer at 402-473-2657 or rjohnson@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @LJSRileyJohnson.

The Link Lonk


January 06, 2021 at 07:06AM
https://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/watch-now-lancaster-county-virus-risk-dial-remains-red-as-infection-rate-hospitalizations-still-concerning/article_3932614f-5f6a-5606-8ef3-e988d77c98b8.html

Watch now: Lancaster County virus risk dial remains red as infection rate, hospitalizations still concerning - Lincoln Journal Star

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