We start out the New Year with the Lincoln- Lancaster County COVID-19 Risk Dial in the “Red” or high risk of spread category. The Risk Dial has been in the red category for 9 weeks.
The position of the Risk Dial is based on multiple local indicators and information from the previous three weeks.
- After peaking at 2,113 new cases the week ending December 5, the number of weekly cases steadily decreased in December. Cases, however, have now increased from 926 the week ending December 26 to 1,202 the week ending January 2. The seven-day rolling average also declined in December but has increased from an average of 132 cases on December 26 to 166 on January 3.
- The positivity rate also dropped in December from 33.8 percent the week ending December 5 to 25.6 percent the week ending December 26. This past week, however, the rate increased to 33.7 percent.
- While testing remains widely available in the community, the number of people getting tested has declined locally and across the State. Turnaround time has improved, and results can be expected within 24 hours.
- The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized locally declined from a peak high of 177 on November 29 to 83 patients on December 24. Hospitalizations are back up to 100 today, with 65 patients from Lancaster County and 35from other communities.
In December, 74 Lancaster County residents died from COVID-19, and eight have died so far in January. Those 82 deaths are more than half of the community’s 161 COVID-19 deaths.
The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department today announced that three more residents have died from COVID-19. The deaths included two women who were hospitalized, one in her 40s and one in her 90s, and a man in his 70s in a long-term care facility.
LLCHD reports 187 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lancaster County today, bringing the community total to 23,426. The total number of deaths in Lancaster County is now 161. Recoveries are up from 7,177 to 7,322. The weekly positivity rate from January 3rd through December 5th is 36%.
There are 100 COVID-19 patients hospitalized with six on ventilators.
The testing process begins with a free online risk assessment available at BryanHealth.com, CHIHealth.com or TestNebraska.com. Drive through test sites include:
- Bryan Health: Former Graham Tire Store, northeast corner of 19th and “O” streets. Tests are conducted from 8:45 to 11:15 a.m. Monday and 8:45 to 11:45 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
- CHI Health St. Elizabeth: Autumn Ridge Family Medicine, 5000 North 26th St. and Southwest Family Health, 1240 Aries Drive. Call either site to schedule an appointment: Autumn Ridge, 402-435-5300 and South West Family, 402-420-1300.
- Test Nebraska: Gateway Mall, 6100 “O” St., north parking lot of the former Sears store. Tests are conducted from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 402-207-9377.