Average weekly COVID cases continues to rise in district

    Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department is reporting 89 new cases of COVID-19 in the district from Sept. 7-13, bringing the weekly average to 84 over the most recent 30-day period.
    The last report two weeks ago showed 70 new cases Aug. 24-30.
    The recent case breakdown by age shows:
    0 to 19 – 25
    20 to 29 – 17
    30 to 39 – 15
    40 to 49 – 6
    50 to 59 – 7
    60 to 69 – 13
    70 to 79 – 5
    80 and over – 1.
    The total number of cases in the SWNPHD is 4,414. Vaccination rates across the health district have reached 48%, up from 46% two weeks ago, said health director Myra Stoney.
     Researchers are actively studying the symptoms caused by COVID-19, Stoney said, but many of the long-term effects are still being found.
    The National Institutes of Health reported that large numbers of patients who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 continue to experience a number of symptoms long past the time that they’ve recovered from the initial stages of COVID-19 illness.
    Often referred to as “Long COVID,” these symptoms, which can include fatigue, shortness of breath, “brain fog,” sleep disorders, fevers, gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety, and depression, can persist for months and can range from mild to severe, she said.
     Effects of COVID-19 disease in children may also last for several weeks or more.
    In a study shared by Dr. Kari Simonsen of Children’s Hospital in Omaha, 25% of children hospitalized for COVID-19 had long-lasting symptoms including fatigue, sleep disturbance and sensory deficits seven months after being discharged from the hospital.
     Stoney said SWNPHD is answering questions that residents have about the COVID vaccines, such as:
    Do COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips?
    No. COVID-19 vaccines do not contain microchips. Vaccines are developed to fight against disease and are not administered to track your movement. Vaccines work by stimulating your immune system to produce antibodies, exactly like it would if you were exposed to the disease. After getting vaccinated, you develop immunity to that disease, without having to get the disease first.
Nebraska numbers
    From January through August this year, an estimated 2,800 breakthrough cases of COVID-19 were identified in fully vaccinated individuals in Nebraska, making up about 2% of all cases in the same time period, according to Stoney.
    This is less than the 5% that was expected when the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were first approved for use. Both were predicted to be 95% effective.
    SWNPHD continues to monitor the Delta variant and if it is causing more breakthrough cases as data becomes available, Stoney said.
     Visit swhealth.ne.gov for information on COVID-19.