UPDATE 3/31/20: 3rd COVID-19 Death In Nebraska

(KFOR NEWS March 31, 2020) The third death related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) today. The person was a Lincoln County resident in his 90s with underlying health conditions.

Scotts Bluff County’s first case of COVID-19 was reported Monday. Further investigation determined this case is community spread. Community spread is when people have COVID-19 but public health officials are unable to identify how or where they became infected – http://www.pphd.org/ .

A state Directed Health Measure (DHM) was issued tonight for the following 12 Panhandle counties: Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, and Sioux Counties – https://www.dropbox.com/s/bsro5om6vs0rmtz/DHM%203.30.2020.pdf?dl=0 .

First cases of COVID-19 were reported in York, Kimball and Antelope Counties today – http://www.fourcorners.ne.gov/ , http://www.pphd.org/ and https://ncdhdne.wordpress.com/ .

Monday night’s state case total is 155. DHHS launched a new data dashboard that provides daily updates to the state’s COVID-19 case totals. You can find it at http://dhhs.ne.gov/coronavirus.

Recent data shows that the virus is also affecting younger people. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report said 20% of those hospitalized for COVID-19 in the U.S. were 20-44 years old.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. People who are concerned they may have COVID-19 should self-isolate and call ahead to their primary care provider to be screened over the phone.