Rate Of New COVID-19 Cases Slowing In Nebraska; Hospitalizations Still Up

     The growth rate of new COVID-19 cases in Nebraska somewhat slowed last week, but the number of people hospitalized with the virus remains high. 

      The Omaha World-Herald says data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows 4,688 new cases were reported in the week that ended last Thursday, down from 5,707 the week before and about 5,300 the week before that.

       Data from Nebraska Health and Human Services lists 434 Nebraskans were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday.

       The count has generally been above 400 for the past 2 weeks, well below last November’s peak of 967, but well above the 28 hospitalizations at the end of June.

       Although the number of hospitalized COVID patients is much smaller than in November, there’s a greater shortage of ICU beds now because of the number of non-COVID patients undergoing procedures. Elective surgeries were banned last fall.