SCOTTSBLUFF – Panhandle Unified Command says the region has suffered its third COVID-19 death while Dawes County has its third and fourth cases of the disease.
All 3 Panhandle COVID-19 deaths have occurred in Scotts Bluff County with the latest a woman in her 90s who had underlying health conditions.
County Health Director Paulette Schnell says the death shows that increased precautions remain critical against the coronavirus, especially to protect the most vulnerable in the community. Restrictions intended to slow the spread of the virus were further relaxed yesterday.
The two new Dawes County cases, a woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s, were both listed as community spread with investigators unable to identify the specific source of infection for either. The county now had 4 cases with 3 active, all since Friday.
A total of 9 new cases were reported Monday in the Panhandle, bringing the regional total to 243 including 88 active and 152 recovered with 10 more Scotts Bluff County cases deemed recovered. There are 6 current and 28 total hospitalizations.
Statewide, Nebraska Health and Human Services on Monday announced 5 more COVID-19 deaths for a total of 249. There were also 147 new cases, bringing that total to 17,957 with 11,980 recovered cases and 135 hospitalized. There have been 1,224 hospitalizations since March 1st.