Health district nearing 200 COVID cases since record-keeping began

     Twenty new COVID-19 cases were recorded the past week (Sept. 14-21) in the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD).
    This brings the total for the health district to 194 cases with 151 recovered, according to Monday’s report from SWNPHD Director Myra Stoney.
    Fifty-five of all cases have occurred in the past month.
    Last week’s cases are double that of the week before, when 10 new cases were recorded along with one death.    
    Chase County has recorded four new cases in the past 14 days, and  overall, has recorded 19 positive cases.
     Stoney said many of the district’s new cases are related to family gatherings over Labor Day weekend.  
    “SWNPHD continues to recommend that even small gatherings take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including keeping guests six feet apart, washing hands and surfaces often, wearing a mask indoors and asking anyone experiencing symptoms to stay at home,” she said.
    SWNPHD personnel has compiled the most common symptoms of COVID-19 that have been reported in positive cases in southwest Nebraska.
    Stoney said it’s important to know that not everyone will have every symptom and may have only one.
    The top six symptoms are fatigue, cough, headache, muscle aches, fever and loss of taste/smell.
Risk dial remains yellow
    The COVID-19 Community Risk Dial this week remains at yellow, meaning residents of southwest Nebraska have a moderate risk of contracting COVID-19.
    Stoney suggests parents and guardians have a plan in place if a child tests positive for COVID-19 or is exposed to a positive case.  
    She said plans should include how to help identify close contacts outside the home, how to continue learning activities for school age children, extra cleaning and ways to work from home when possible.  
    Assistance programs are available through the Nebraska Department of Labor for anyone who loses work hours due to COVID-19, Stoney noted.
State numbers
    The state’s Sept. 18 report on COVID numbers shows 2,546 new cases since the previous report on Sept. 11.
    On Wednesday this week, the state’s map shows a total of 41,785 cases that have been recorded in Nebraska and 461 deaths.