Lincoln's Death Toll Climbs - Second COVID-19 Variant Identified Locally

Lincoln, NE (March 10, 2021) Lincoln has suffered another death from the corona virus, the first in nearly two weeks. A woman in her 60’s who was hospitalized succumbed to the disease. Lancaster County’s death toll from the pandemic now stands at 222. 62 new cases of the virus were also confirmed today.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department also announced today that it has confirmed the second local case of a COVID-19 variant. The case is a man in his 20s who contracted the U.K. variant also known as B.1.1.7. The variant was identified through special testing at the Nebraska Public Health Lab, and LLCHD is currently investigating. Lancaster County’s first COVID-19 variant case was confirmed February 27. That individual contracted the B.1.429 variant, also known as the California variant.

Viruses constantly change, and a variant is a new form a virus. Seven cases of the B.1.1.7 variant have been identified in the state so far, including the one in Lancaster County. Several COVID-19 variants have been found in the U.S. The B.1.1.7 variant strain was first identified in the United Kingdom in fall 2020 and then detected in the U.S. in December. It was first confirmed in Nebraska on February 26.

“Variants can spread more easily and quickly, and they can lead to more cases of COVID-19. We want to continue to take preventive actions to control the spread of COVID-19 and its variants in our community, which include getting the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it’s available to you,” said Health Director Pat Lopez.

Data so far suggests the current vaccines should still provide protection against variants, although research is ongoing. Health officials strongly encourage residents to take these preventive actions to help slow the spread of COVID-19: