SW health district tops 1,000 cases since COVID-19 records started

    Southwest Public Health Department’s nine-county region has topped four digits in its total cases this year, as Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is tightening down on the state’s directed health measures.
    As of Monday, the district, which includes Chase, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Hayes, Hitchcock, Perkins, Keith and Red Willow counties, has recorded 1,122 total cases since record-keeping started, 725 of those found in the last 30 days.
    The 184 new cases reported in the past week (Nov. 2-9) in SWNPHD is down just slightly from 194 the week before. Four additional deaths were reported.
    A breakout by county on the past week’s numbers shows:  Chase – 25; Dundy – 8; Frontier – 6; Furnas – 36; Hayes – 2; Hitchcock – 10; Keith – 26; Perkins – 9; and Red Willow – 62.  
    Since the record-keeping started, Chase County has had 187 cases, second in the region to Red Willow County with 367. Keith was third with 161, followed by Furnas with 135; Perkins, 87; Hitchcock, 70; Frontier, 52; Dundy, 44; and Hayes, 24.
    The district’s risk dial remains at orange, one below the most severe of the four settings.
    Myra Stoney, health director for SWNPHD, said the relatively high numbers of people testing positive in Chase County probably is a result of more testing, but also of people not following proper procedures.
    At one time, Chase County Community Hospital was doing a lot of testing, Stoney said, and, “You do more testing, you find more people who are positive.”
    But as for the second cause, “If you’re supposed to stay in isolation, stay in isolation,” she said.
    “If you’re supposed to be in quarantine, stay in quarantine. If you’re not following your orders to do so, what you’re doing is spreading the virus around,” Stoney said.
    But even short of isolation or quarantine, people don’t appear to be following recommendations, she said.
    “When you walk around Imperial or when you walk around Wauneta, how many people do you see wearing masks? People are not following the guidance,” she said.
    Angie Paisley, school nurse at Chase County Schools, said positive cases there remain limited. Secretary Deb Blecha said just one student from all K-12 grades tested positive this week. They also have several students out on quarantine due to family members who tested positive.

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