Chase County, district COVID cases up, down

    After a continued decrease in positive COVID cases in the Southwest Nebraska Public Health District (SWNPHD), last week saw the first increase in awhile.
    The week of Jan. 5-11 recorded 193 new cases, according to health director Myra Stoney.
    That was the first increase in a number of weeks. The week of Dec. 29 to Jan. 4 showed 193 new cases, after 166 the week prior. Those followed several weeks of higher numbers.
    Chase County has been trending the other direction since hitting a peak of 41 cases Dec. 22-28.
    Since then, Chase County dropped to 28 cases (during Dec. 29 to Jan. 4) and to 27 new cases in the most recent week of records—Jan. 5-11.
    The other eight counties in the SWNPHD show these recent numbers:  Dundy–14; Frontier–3; Furnas–17; Hayes–0; Hitchcock–8; Keith–35; Perkins–13; and Red Willow–72.  
    This brings the totals for the health district to 3,211 cases since record-keeping started.
    Statewide, Nebraska recorded 7,252 new cases in the week before the last reporting date on Jan. 5.
    While still elevated, state officials say hospitalizations have stabilized with Nebraska hospitals caring for an average of 522 people a day for the previous seven days ending Jan. 5.
    As of Sunday, NE Department of Health and Human Services officials report that 76,882 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been given to those in the Phase 1a priority group, which includes frontline healthcare workers and residents/staff at long-term care facilities.
    CEO Eric Haider said in his weekly report to families Sunday that the vaccine was given to residents of both the Manor and Parkview-Heights starting last Thursday. Several staff members also received it.
    He expects the second vaccine dose to be administered in their facilities in early February.
Risk dial same as state’s
    Stoney also announced that the district’s COVID-19 Risk Dial will now follow the state of Nebraska’s risk dial, which is used to determine the state’s Directed Health Measures (DHMs).
    Previously, the health district had its own risk dial, which often varied from the state’s.
    Currently, all of Nebraska is in the blue level, between yellow and green, she noted. Recommendations include wearing a mask in public, washing hands and surfaces often and avoiding the three C’s: crowded spaces, close contact and confined spaces.