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COVID-19 cases increase in Omaha metro while hospitalizations slightly decrease

COVID-19 ventilator hospital
Posted at 1:08 PM, Jan 17, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-17 14:08:11-05

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The Douglas County Health Department on Tuesday confirmed that 212 new cases of COVID-19 were reported to the department since our last report on Thursday. There are a total of 179,064 cases of COVID-19 reported in the county since March of 2020.

The case numbers reported do not include at-home tests. The county health department still encourages Douglas County residents to report their at-home test results because health officials do review them.

DCHD received confirmation of three additional COVID-19-related deaths involving a man in his 60s and a man and a woman both over 75. Only the younger man had been vaccinated. The number of COVID-19-related deaths in Douglas County during the pandemic now is 1,262.

The health department told 3 News Now that it considers being vaccinated for COVID-19 as having the first two shots and that individuals who are listed as vaccinated may or may not have had boosters.

The Omaha Metropolitan Healthcare Coalition — which encompasses Douglas, Sarpy, Saunders, Dodge, and Washington counties in Nebraska, plus hospitals in Council Bluffs and Missouri Valley, Iowa — releases updated COVID-19 case counts and a hospital occupancy report to the Douglas County Health Department on Mondays and Thursdays. The overall numbers include both COVID-19 patients and hospitalized patients for all other illnesses and injuries unless otherwise noted.

According to the most recent local hospital coalition update received by DCHD on Monday:

  • There were 130 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19, including four pediatric cases.
    • Eleven patients were receiving ICU-level care.
    • Three suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients were on a ventilator.
    • There were ten COVID-19 persons of interest, generally awaiting test results, and all were adults.
  • Medical and surgical beds were occupied at a 79% rate with 372 staffed beds available.
    • Adult ICU beds were occupied at an 87% rate with 33 staffed beds available.
    • Pediatric ICU beds were at 67% of capacity with 14 beds available.

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