Douglas County reports 147 new coronavirus cases, 1 death; 403 new cases reported statewide -Herald

Douglas County reported its highest number of daily coronavirus cases yet Saturday as the virus claimed another victim, a man in his 60s.

It’s the 18th death officially attributed to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in Douglas County. The man had no known underlying health conditions, the Douglas County Health Department said.

Health officials counted 147 new coronavirus cases, for a total of 1,440 known cases, as testing ramps up in Nebraska. Drive-thru testing sites were launched this past week in Omaha and Grand Island.

Reported cases statewide rose to 8,234 Saturday night, an increase of 403 from Friday. Ninety-six deaths linked to COVID-19 have been reported by the state. (The state, which has a different reporting cycle, listed 1,501 cases in Douglas County.)

The total number of tests reported by the state was 45,644, up from Friday’s total of 43,046. 

Roughly 2,800 people in Douglas County were tested this past week compared to 1,100 per week at the end of April. Just over 10,000 tests have been administered since the pandemic began.

Twenty-one percent of test results that came back in the past week were positive. That’s a higher percentage compared to April, but down slightly from the 23% positivity rate reported during the first week of May. 

As of Friday night, nearly 200 county residents had recovered from the coronavirus.

But the number of people with more serious cases requiring hospitalization or ventilators for breathing assistance is increasing, too.

Ninety-three people with COVID-19 were hospitalized as of Friday, and 29 were on ventilators. The number of hospitalizations has grown by 55% since last Saturday, and the number of people on ventilators has nearly doubled since Monday, Douglas County data shows. 

Still, local hospitals report they have plenty of available beds — 468 — and 237 open ventilators.  

Lancaster County officials reported 76 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 there, the highest number reported in a single day in the community. The county’s total case count was 606 as of Saturday night.

World-Herald staff writer Jessica Wade contributed to this report.

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