OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The Douglas County Health Department reported 191 new positive COVID-19 tests were received on Friday since midnight the previous day. The number marks another day of declining positive COVID-19 tests reported to the county. On Thursday, 236 new positive cases were reported.
Dr. Mark Rupp, chief of the infectious diseases division at UNMC,told 3 News Now on Thursday that case counts are likely under-counted partly due to the availability of at-home tests. However, he also pointed out that COVID-related hospitalizations are also declining.
The health department received two COVID-19-related death certificates during the past day. Two women between 65 and 80 years of age have died and only one was vaccinated. The number of COVID-19-related deaths in Douglas County during the pandemic is now 1,034.
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 a near-daily basis. 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 by DCHD late Thursday:
- Medical and surgical beds were at 88% occupancy with 168 staffed beds available for all patients.
- Adult ICU beds are occupied at an 89% rate with 34 staffed beds available.
- Pediatric ICU beds are at 89% capacity with 15 beds available.
- There are 317 individuals hospitalized due to COVID-19 including 308 adults and nine pediatric cases.
- Fifty-three of the adults are receiving ICU-level care.
- Twenty-six individuals who are confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19 were on ventilators.
- There are three additional COVID-19 persons of interest (generally waiting for test results), with two potential adult cases and one potential pediatric case.
The total number of positive cases since March of 2020 is now 140,789.
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