OMAHA, Neb. — In Douglas County, COVID-19 cases are significantly down and hospitalizations have seen a nearly 70 percent decrease since the start of the year.
“We are seeing a consistent decrease in cases, especially last week again. We have a 23 percent decrease from the week before and this was the lowest since the 19th of September," Douglas County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour said during a virtual Board of Health meeting Tuesday.
Dr. Pour says what stands out the most to her is the significant drop in COVID-related hospitalizations.
“The newest data...having 92 COVID patients in our Omaha are hospitals. That’s a 67 percent decrease since January 1," Dr. Pour said. "We also saw a 23% decrease in our testing."
Medical experts say a decrease in testing isn't necessarily a bad thing.
"I'd like to think that less people are getting tested largely because there's less disease and that's certainly reflected in the hospitalization rates as well," UNMC infectious diseases expert Dr. Mark Rupp said.
As vaccination efforts continue, Dr. Pour says the county is greatly considering using both Baxter Arena and Ralston Arena as mass vaccination sites when vaccinations become more widely available.
Test Nebraska sites could also switch over to become vaccination sites. These drive thru vaccination sites could be up and running as early as April.