LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska’s third COVID-19 death was that of a Lincoln County man in his 90s, health officials said.
The man had underlying health conditions and had tested positive along with a woman in her 80s, the executive director of the West Central District Health Department said Monday. The woman remains hospitalized, said Shannon Vanderheiden, the department director.
Nebraska’s first two fatal COVID-19 victims were an Omaha man in his 50s and a Hall County woman in her 60s, officials have said.
For most people, COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The Douglas County Health Department announced Tuesday afternoon that eight new cases had been confirmed in the Omaha area, bring the state’s total of confirmed COVID-19 cases to at least 163. More than 2,700 people have tested negative.
Also Tuesday, Gov. Pete Ricketts issued an executive order to loosen restrictions on hospitals and other health care facilities so that they can respond to a possible surge in patients suffering from COVID-19. Ricketts also extended Nebraska’s statewide restrictions on social gatherings.
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