As the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases grow, the number who’ve successfully recovered from the virus remains unclear.
“Do to the serious nature of the virus, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention are being extremely careful when deciding what it means to recover form COVID-19 since it’s such a new virus that we learn daily,” Pat Lopez, interim director for the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department said during the city’s daily news update.
She says the difference is due to medical and testing requirements.
Patients need to be fever free without medication for 72 hours, symptom free for a week and test negative twice at least 24 hours apart.
“But with the limited number of tests, we are unable to complete additional negative tests for those who are recovering at home, which has been the case with the limitaiton.”
If testing becomes more available and rapid, recoveries could be tracked.
There are 59 cases in the community with 41 community-acquired. Four are hospitalized with two on the ventilator.
Today’s cases are two men in their 20s and 60s. Both are self-isolating, and close contacts are self-quarantined. Both cases were found to be community acquired.
LLCHD is now monitoring 63 individuals. Lancaster County reports one death, 1845 negative tests, and 59 positives, with 12 tests pending at the Nebraska Public Health Lab. There are now 911 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nebraska and 20 deaths.
In other news at the mayor’s press briefing…
Medical businesses continue adjust to COVID-19 restrictions to help allow patients to continually receive their care.
Roy Christensen with Christen Hearing Analytics says he implemented several programs including seeing patients over the telephone.
“And even with some of the newest hearing instruments remote programming of hearing aids,” he says. “So I can reprogram someone’s hearing aids while they’re at home connecting with me electronically.”
He says the use a set of screening tools and only allow one patient in their office at a time. Christensen added they do house calls and curbside service.