One More Covid 19 Death In Lincoln

Lincoln, NE (January 27, 2021) The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) today announced that one more resident has died from COVID-19.  The death was a man in his 70s who was hospitalized. The total number of deaths in Lancaster County is now 193.

The number of new lab-confirmed cases was not available Wednesday afternoon.  As of Tuesday, it stood at 26,279.  The Covid-19 Risk Dial remained in “Elevated Orange” Wednesday, the second highest of the four levels.  Health Director Pat Lopez said several indicators are moving in the right direction.

“The weekly number of new positive Covid-19 cases has now been below 1,000 for two consecutive weeks.  The number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized has been declining, and has been under 100 for the past seven days now.”

She went on to say that average number of new cases has been declining also.  “If you look at our rolling average from January 3rd to the 23rd, you’ll see a continued decline from 177 cases on January 4th to an average of 124 daily cases on January 23rd.”

Lopez said last week’s mass vaccination clinic for Health Care workers, held at the Pinnacle Bank Arena, shows that the City and County are ready to inoculate large numbers of people efficiently.  She said more clinics will be arrange as soon as more vaccine is received.  Currently, Lancaster County is receiving about 3,900 doses weekly.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Visit lincoln.ne.gov/COVID19dashboard to access a dashboard that summarizes Lancaster County COVID-19 data. LLCHD also released the following information today:

Recoveries: not available

 

Weekly positivity rate:

  • January 17 through 23:  29.4 percent
  • January 24 through 27:  not available

 

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 positive patients: 68 with 49 from Lancaster County (none on ventilators) and 19 from other communities (two on ventilators).

 

Vaccine registrations: nearly 62,100

An online COVID-19 vaccine registration form for Lancaster County residents is now available at COVID19.lincoln.ne.gov.  Those who do not have online access or who need assistance may call LLCHD’s COVID-19 hotline at 402-441-8006 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays to register.

The vaccine is not yet available for the general public.  As vaccine doses become available, those who are registered will be given an appointment to be vaccinated. Appointments for vaccinations are dependent on vaccine supply and are not related to the order in which people register. The registration is open to all County residents, but those who are in Phase1B – those age 65 and older and those with underlying medical conditions – are encouraged to register.

The COVID-19 Risk Dial is at elevated orange, indicating a high risk of the virus spreading.  Residents are advised to follow these recommendations to protect themselves and others:

  • Wear a face mask and stay at least six feet away when interacting with anyone from anyone outside of your household.
  • Work from home if possible.
  • Individual outdoor activities are preferred.
  • Small gatherings and events only with modifications (i.e. physical distancing, face masks, capacity limits, etc.).
  • Avoid large gatherings.
  • Visit RecoverLNK.com for information on how local businesses are taking precautions to protect employees and customers.
  • Follow travel guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control at cdc.gov.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath, repeated shaking with chills, repeated muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell.  If you have symptoms, please get tested.  Testing is now open to all Lancaster County residents by appointment only.

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.

For more information, visit COVID19.lincoln.ne.gov or call the Health Department hotline at 402-441-8006.