(WOWT) - Here is a summary of new cases and other COVID-19 stats reported today by health officials across Nebraska & Iowa.

Douglas County

The Douglas County Health Department reported 360 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and 15 new deaths.

The total number of cases since the pandemic began is now 48,090. The 7-day average was 371. The previous week which ended Saturday saw a positivity rate of 28.1%, a decrease from 30.2% the previous week. Similarly, the county’s risk dial nudged down from 3.7 to 3.5, though remained in the red, or “severe,” category.

The number of deaths in Douglas County is now 423. Ten women ranging in age from their 40s to their 90s and five men between 40 and 80 have passed away.

As of their most recent report, medical and surgical beds were at 79% occupancy, with 318 beds available. ICU beds are occupied at a 72% rate with 93 beds available.

A total of 24,921 residents have recovered since the start of the pandemic.

During the last 14 days, schools in Douglas County have reported 299 cases among students and staff, according to the DCHD release. Of those cases, 98 are among staff and 201 are students. There are 460 students and staff in quarantine and 948 students and staff self-monitoring.

Nebraskans encouraged to get virus test before the holidays

(AP) - State officials are encouraging Nebraskans to consider getting tested for the coronavirus before the holidays if they plan to see extended family.

The state’s chief medical officer, Dr. Gary Anthone, said taking a test for the virus before Christmas would add an extra layer of protection for families that plan to gather together.

Nebraska reported 1,242 new virus cases and 10 new deaths Wednesday to give the state 152,103 cases and 1,448 deaths since the pandemic began.

Over the past two weeks, the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska decreased from nearly 1,800 to about 1,200 new cases per day on Wednesday.

CHI Health Good Samaritan nurse, Sara Trampe, said it really felt special to be one of the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. See her quote on why she felt it was important to get vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/rcmN2dvLGZ
— CHI Health (@CHIhealth) December 17, 2020

REFERENCE NOTE -- 6 News pulls data from Nebraska and Iowa COVID-19 dashboards at 6 p.m. daily. All other reports in this post come from official news releases from area health departments and other authorities as stated.