COVID-19

Corrections Officers, Inmates Test Positive for Coronavirus

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 05/18/2020 - 2:05pm

Reports of coronavirus cases in Omaha correctional facilities continued to come in in recent days.

The Douglas County Department of Corrections reported last Friday that two correctional officers tested positive for COVID-19.

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Despite Slow Start, Ricketts Confident in TestNebraska

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 05/18/2020 - 5:56am

Nebraska may not make its goal of conducting 3,000 coronavirus tests per day by the end of May through the state’s TestNebraska program, but Gov. Pete Ricketts expressed confidence last week that testers will reach that pace “at some point” if residents continue to sign up.

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TestNebraska Contractor Says Senators’ Criticism Unfounded

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 05/14/2020 - 9:06am

A Utah company that agreed to provide Nebraska with 540,000 coronavirus tests defended its work Tuesday after four Nebraska state senators called on Gov. Pete Ricketts to cancel the state’s $27 million contract with the firm.

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Minorities Disproportionately Impacted by Virus in Omaha

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 05/14/2020 - 9:05am

The Douglas County Health Department expressed alarm earlier this week at the number of Latinos, Asians and black residents becoming infected with the coronavirus.

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COVID-19 Increases Continue in Nebraska as Businesses Reopen

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 05/14/2020 - 8:46am

Lincoln – Businesses have started reopening in Nebraska, even as the number of coronavirus cases surges, raising concerns among medical experts.

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Ricketts Pushes Back on Criticism of TestNebraska Contract

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 05/14/2020 - 12:00am

Gov. Pete Ricketts pushed back against four Nebraska lawmakers who urged him to cancel a $27 million coronavirus testing contract with a group of out-of-state startup companies, calling their criticism “ludicrous” even though the program is off to a slow start and hasn’t kept up with demand.

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Local Health Officials Wanted to Close Grand Island Plant

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 05/13/2020 - 12:00am

On Tuesday, March 31, an emergency room doctor at the main hospital in Grand Island, Nebraska, sent an urgent email to the regional health department: “Numerous patients” from the JBS beef packing plant had tested positive for COVID-19. The plant, he feared, was becoming a coronavirus “hot spot.”

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U.S. Unemployment Spikes to a Depression Era Level of 14.7%

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 05/13/2020 - 12:00am

Washington – The U.S. unemployment rate hit 14.7% in April, a level last seen during the Great Depression, as 20.5 million jobs vanished in the worst monthly loss on record – stark evidence of how the coronavirus has brought the economy to its knees.

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Grant Helping UNMC Prepare Rural Communities for Virus

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 05/12/2020 - 6:28am

The Nebraska Health Care Foundation recently was given $250,000 by the Donald E. Nielsen Foundation for the University of Nebraska Medical Center Long-Term Care and Critical Access Pandemic Project to enhance COVID-19 pandemic preparedness in Nebraska’s rural nursing facilities and critical access centers.

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Residents Urged to Wear Masks

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 05/12/2020 - 6:28am

The Douglas County Health Department says it is time to form a new habit: When you leave your home, wear a mask. That’s one simple thing everyone can do to slow the spread of COVID-19. `

“Everyone has a role to play and we need everyone to help,” Health Director Dr. Adi Pour said in a news release. “We can do this. Wear a mask when you leave home and stay home when you can.”