Monday Feb. 8 COVID-19 update: Douglas County reports 259 new cases since Friday

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

Douglas County

The Douglas County Health Department has reported 259 new cases since Friday’s report, bringing the total number of cases reported since March to 61,986.

The 7-day rolling average number of cases reported is now 119.

Five new deaths were reported. Four men and one woman all over 70 years of age have passed away. The number of deaths in the county is now at 622.

DCHD reports 49,769 recoveries.

As of the most recent report, medical and surgical beds were at 72% occupancy, with 426 beds available. ICU beds are occupied at a 68% rate with 108 beds available.

DCHD did not issue COVID-19 updates over the weekend.

Lincoln-Lancaster County

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department reports 48 new cases on Monday, bringing the total number to 27,202.

LLCHD also reports one new death. A woman in her 90s that was hospitalized. The total number of deaths in the county is now 209.

Nebraska

(AP) - The number of people getting vaccinated for the coronavirus increased nearly 5% last week in Nebraska.

State officials said 48,982 doses of the vaccines were administered last week, up from 46,806 doses the week before. The state is working to speed up the distribution of the vaccines.

So far, about 4.6% of the state’s population has received both required doses of a vaccine. Nebraska said Monday that it has administered 232,896 doses of the vaccines.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska fell over the past two weeks from 849.14 new cases per day on Jan. 24 to 429.86 new cases per day on Sunday.

Many older Iowans may need assistance to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. Here are some ways you can...
Posted by Iowa Department of Public Health on Friday, February 5, 2021

As COVID-19 vaccines begin to rollout, UNMC and Nebraska Medicine will continue to emphasize the need to wear masks, social distance and wash hands to help keep our communities safe. #InThisTogether
Posted by University of Nebraska Medical Center - UNMC on Saturday, February 6, 2021

NEBRASKA VACCINE HOTLINE: Gov. Pete Ricketts has asked Nebraskans to call 402-552-6645 or toll-free at 833-998-2275 for more information on the Nebraska COVID-19 vaccination process. DO NOT call your local health department.

IOWA VACCINE HOTLINE: Older or home-bound Iowans looking for help scheduling a COVID-19 vaccination appointment can call 1-866-468-7887 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; or contact Connections Area Agency on Aging at 712-328-2540 or 1-800-432-9209.

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.