OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — On Thursday, the Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) reported 593 new positive COVID-19 tests had been received since Monday’s report. One hundred and ninety-seven of that total are cases from Wednesday alone.
The number of positive cases since March of 2020 now totals 160,097. 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.
The health department received two new COVID-19-related death certificates since Monday. One unvaccinated man in his 50s and a vaccinated woman over 75 died. The number of COVID-19-related deaths in Douglas County during the pandemic now is 1,140.
According to Douglas County Health Department spokesperson Phil Rooney, last year on this date we had 51 new positive COVID-19 tests and 26 people in the hospital.
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 update received from healthcare coalition by DCHD Wednesday:
- There were 124 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 including four pediatric cases.
- Sixteen adults were receiving ICU-level care.
- Six people who were confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19 were on a ventilator.
- Medical and surgical beds were occupied at an 88% occupancy rate with 167 staffed beds available.
- Adult ICU beds were occupied at an 88% rate with 34 staffed beds available.
- Pediatric ICU beds were at 91% of capacity with 12 beds available.
- There were four additional COVID-19 persons of interest waiting for test results.
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