Monitoring COVID-19 in Lancaster County

Lincoln, Nep. The death toll in the community stands at 50.

Partial results of 90 new cases announced yesterday. Today’s total includes cases reported last night at midnight. The number of new cases reported on Friday and Saturday was 291.

Visit COVID19.lincoln.ne.gov Access the dashboard that summarizes the Lancaster County COVID-19 data.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, shortness of breath, repeated chills, recurrent muscle aches, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell. If you have symptoms, please get tested. The test is now open to all Lancaster County residents by appointment only.

The testing process is available at a free online risk assessment BrianHealth.com, CHIHealth.com Or TestNebraska.com. Run through test sites:

• Brian Health: Former Graham Tire Shop, on the northeast corner of 19th and “O” Streets.
• Test Nebraska: Gateway Mall, 6100 “O” St., on the northwest corner of the mall. Test Nebraska’s time is from 8 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Saturdays.
• CHI Health St. Elizabeth: Autumn Ridge Family Medicine, 5000 North 26th St. and Southwest Family Health, 1240 Aries Drive. Call both sites to schedule a meeting: Autumn Ridge 402-435-5300 and Southwest Family 402-420-1300.

The COVID-19 risk dial is now “red”, indicating a serious risk of virus transmission. Residents are advised to follow these recommendations to protect themselves and others:

• Stay home if you do not travel for work, school, food or medical care or check on others who need help.
• Work from home if possible.
• Wear a mask when interacting with anyone outside your home.
• Stay at least six feet away from anyone outside your home.
• Avoid meetings.
• Only go to businesses and participate in activities where public health guidelines are followed. Guidelines include wearing a mask, physical distance and skill limits.
• Follow travel guidelines from disease control centers cdc.gov.

The LLCHD reminds people that the flu vaccine is a very effective way to reduce their risk of getting influenza. The flu vaccine is easily accessible, and the public is encouraged to contact health care providers or locate a community flu immunization location in November.

LLCHD will provide free flu vaccines for those 6 months and older. For more information, call or visit 402-441-8065 lincoln.ne.gov (Keyword: vaccine).

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