The Perfect Enemy | Thursday Aug. 11 COVID-19 update: Douglas County reports 4 deaths

(WOWT) – Below are today’s updates from data reports on new cases and other COVID-19 stats reported by health officials across Nebraska and western Iowa.

Keep scrolling to find a vaccination clinic near you.

Sarpy/Cass data snapshot

DEATHS: The Sarpy/Cass Health Department COVID-19 dashboard indicates the local death toll there remains at 336 people.

The dashboard does not provide any information about their age ranges or pre-existing conditions.

CASES: The health department reports that there are currently 611 active cases of COVID-19 in Sarpy County, 13 fewer than at the beginning of the month; and 70 in Cass County, one more case than the dashboard indicated Aug. 1. To date, Sarpy/Cass has confirmed 53,977 cases of COVID-19 in Sarpy County and 6,506 in Cass County.

Of the health district’s active cases, most are in their 20s, 30s, and 50s: 107 cases in their 20s, 111 in their 30s, and 101 in their 50s. There are also 70 active cases among youth ages 14 and younger, down four cases from Aug. 1; with 33 of those active pediatric cases among children ages 4 or younger — the age group most recently approved for COVID-19 vaccination.

POSITIVITY RATE: The health department reported a test positivity rate of 24.4% as of Saturday, down from an adjusted 23.2% a week prior. About a month ago it was 25.4%; about two months ago, it was 17.6%. The lab ran 352 tests in the week ending Saturday, compared to 388 tests in the week prior.

HOSPITALIZATIONS: The Sarpy/Cass Health Department’s hospital data is provided by Douglas County, according to its dashboard. That information is available in the Douglas County update below.

VACCINATIONS: The health department reported an increase in the vaccination rate among residents in the past week: 67.1% in Sarpy County, and 62.8% in Cass County.

Three Rivers data snapshot

Three Rivers Public Health Department COVID-19 dashboard usually updates its data on Mondays, but no new data was available at the beginning of the week. The health district covers Dodge, Saunders, and Washington counties.

DEATHS: Three Rivers is still reporting 221 COVID-19 deaths to date — the same number it has been reporting for months. The dashboard does not provide any detailed information about deaths or pre-existing conditions.

CASES: 3RPHD data on Thursday indicated 112 cases had been confirmed in the past seven days. That’s up from 109 reported a week ago. The health department does not include data on the locations of those cases.

The health district has reported 19,974 people infected with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic; that’s 119 more cases than reported a week ago.

3RPHD also reported the seven-day rolling average remained at 20.3 cases per 100,000 people this week.

POSITIVITY RATE: Recent data reports show an increase in positivity in Dodge and Saunders counties.

As of Sunday, July 31, 3RPHD was reporting a positivity rate among Dodge County residents of 23%, up from an adjusted 17.3% a week earlier. About a month ago, the rate was 14%. The dashboard showed 113 tests were conducted in Dodge County during the week ending July 31.

In Saunders County, 3RPHD reported a positivity rate of 13.6% as of July 31, down from an adjusted 10.5% a week earlier. About a month ago, the rate was 6.6%. The dashboard showed 25 tests were conducted in the county during the week ending July 31.

Data for Washington County residents showed positivity at 24.7% on July 31, down from an adjusted 29.9% a week earlier. About a month ago, the rate was 25.75%. The dashboard showed 67 tests were conducted in the county during the week ending July 31.

HOSPITALIZATIONS: The health district’s hospital data is provided by Douglas County, according to its dashboard. The latest update can be found below.

VACCINATIONS: 3RPHD was reporting slightly higher vaccination rates this week compared to last week. Dodge County was reporting a 65.5% vaccination rate among residents ages 5 and older, 60.7% for Saunders County, and 62% for Washington County as of Thursday. That amounts to 60.9% of all Dodge County residents, 58% of all Saunders County residents, and 60.3% of all Washington County residents.

Nebraska data snapshot

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services provides COVID-19 data updates generally each week via its Respiratory Illness Dashboard, found on the Nebraska Public Health Atlas. That dashboard does not include data on COVID-19 hospitalizations or deaths, hospital capacity, or vaccinations.

CASES & POSITIVITY: Testing numbers across the state decreased by nearly 3,700 tests in the past week, and positive test numbers and positivity also saw declines. Among 17,855 tests conducted in the week ending Saturday, the state lab confirmed 3,223 positive cases. Those results brought Nebraska’s positivity rate from an adjusted 17.2% on July 30 to 18.1% as of Saturday.

About a month ago, it was 17.7%; two months ago, it was 12.3%. The highest recorded positivity rates during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic have been 23.2% at the end of April 2020 and 23.4% in mid-January 2022.

RSV and influenza numbers, also available on30 the dashboard, remain at low rates in Nebraska.

Pottawattamie County data snapshot

The following information is from data dated Tuesday on the Iowa Department of Public Health website, which no longer includes hospitalization and hospital capacity data.

DEATHS: IDPH data indicates the COVID-19 death toll stands at 323 people. IDPH provides no demographic information about COVID-19 deaths on its dashboard.

The website also indicates the state recorded 33 COVID-19 deaths in the past week, bringing the pandemic death toll to 9,850 people.

CASES: IDPH data shows that 175 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Pottawattamie County in the past week, up from 145 from cases reported a week ago. The county’s totals are now 30,071 positive tests and 25,903 cases.

The website also shows that the average per 100,000 people in the county is 187.8 cases, down from 200 cases reported a week ago; and that 175 positive tests were reported in the past week.

VACCINATIONS: IDPH removed its data on vaccinations last week. The latest data showed Pottawattamie County reporting a 56.5% vaccination rate among those ages 5 and older, compared to a 63% vaccination rate for the same age group in all of Iowa. That amounts to 53% of the county’s total population, compared to the 59.1% vaccination rate for the state.

The state website did not previously include vaccination data for children younger than age 5.

Douglas County update

The Douglas County Health Department has been reporting COVID-19 data twice weekly, issuing updated stats on Mondays and Thursdays.

DEATHS: The health department reported four more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday.

“An unvaccinated woman in her 60s has died; a vaccinated man in his 70s; and a vaccinated man and a vaccinated woman in their 80s have died,” the DCHD release states.

The local pandemic death toll is now 1,149 people.

CASES: DCHD reported Monday that 642 new COVID-19 cases had been confirmed since Thursday. About a year ago, DCHD was reporting that 248 cases had been confirmed over a weekend.

The latest recent cases bring the local pandemic total to 164,997 cases. The number of reinfections for the seven days ending Saturday, Aug. 6, was 229 cases, down from 255 cases the week prior.

The most recent case numbers bring the seven-day average to 170 cases as of Thursday, down one from Monday. According to the Douglas County COVID-19 dashboard, the rolling seven-day average per 100,000 people was 170.1 cases as of Tuesday, down from 207.8 cases reported Saturday.

HOSPITALIZATIONS: As of late Wednesday, area hospitals were caring for 152 COVID-19 patients, up from 148 reported Monday. Of those patients, four were in pediatrics, 18 adult patients were in ICUs, and three people were on ventilators.

A year ago, DCHD was reporting 111 area COVID-19 hospitalizations.

HOSPITAL CAPACITY: Area hospital capacity fluctuates according to staffing levels. As of late Wednesday, hospitals were 87% full with 172 beds available, down from 182 reported Monday. Area ICUs were 90% full with 30 beds available, down from 33 reported Monday. Pediatric ICUs were 88% full with 16 beds available, three more than reported Monday. A year ago, local hospitals were 81% full, and ICUs were 80% full.

VACCINATIONS: DCHD updated its COVID-19 dashboard recently and now includes vaccination data for ages 6 months to 4 years. To date, 3,594 pediatric doses have been administered in the county, resulting in 2.9% of Douglas County children in that age group being fully vaccinated.

Other vaccination numbers also showed an increase from last week. To date, 67.2% of all Douglas County residents are vaccinated with 56.6% of eligible residents, fully vaccinated residents ages 5 and older, receiving their third dose. Of youth ages 5-11, 40% are vaccinated; and 69% of county youth ages 12-17 are fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 continues to be a serious public health threat, but we have a greater understanding of how it spreads and more…

Posted by CDC on Thursday, August 11, 2022

Vaccination clinics

Nebraska DHHS

Federal Retail Pharmacy Program: Pharmacies in and near the Omaha-metro area currently participating in the program include:

Medicine Man Pharmacy, 15615 Pacific St. Suite 8, Omaha NE 668118
ViaRx, 825 N. 90th St., Omaha NE 68114
Walmart, 3010 E. 23rd St., Fremont NE 68025

Douglas County

Below is a list of the Douglas County COVID-19 vaccination clinics scheduled for this week, including child vaccination clinics at area schools. All clinics are open to the public for any approved shot in the vaccination series as indicated below. Those planning to get a booster shot should bring their vaccination card.

FRIDAY

9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Douglas County Health Department, located at 1111 S. 41st St. – All vaccines available for all ages

SATURDAY

10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the OPS Back to School Bash at Baxter Arena, located at 2425 S. 67th St. – Pfizer & Moderna vaccines available for ages 5+
Noon-3 p.m. at the Back to School Community Fair at Church of Christ, located at 1920 Roberston Drive – Pfizer & Moderna vaccines available for ages 5+

WEDNESDAY

10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Clair Memorial United Methodist Church, located at 5544 Ames Ave. – Pfizer & Moderna for ages 5+

FRIDAY AUG. 19

9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Douglas County Health Department, located at 1111 S. 41st St. – All vaccines available for all ages

SATURDAY AUG. 20

Noon-3 p.m. at Girls Inc., located at 2811 N. 45th St. – All vaccines available for all ages

FRIDAY AUG. 26

9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Douglas County Health Department, located at 1111 S. 41st St. – All vaccines available for all ages

About Text Nebraska

The Douglas County Health Department is encouraging residents who test positive for COVID-19 to cooperate with Text Nebraska in order to help prevent further spread of the virus.

If you are age 19 or older, have recently tested positive for COVID-19, and provided a cell number when registering for your test, you will likely receive a text message from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services phone number 1-844-774-7604 that prompts you to take a survey. Adding that number to your phone’s directory will assure that your phone or provider doesn’t mark it as a spam call.

“It is not spam and is safe to respond,” DCHD said in a Thursday news release, noting that the survey is completely digital and doesn’t require you to speak with anyone.

“Text Nebraska is the next step in contact tracing, and this is where you can help,” Health Director Dr. Lindsay Huse said in the release. “Your response is needed as the number of cases makes it impossible for our staff to keep up with the demand.”

Did you take an at-home test?

Thursday Aug. 11 COVID-19 update: Douglas County reports 4 deaths

Report home test results

Douglas County Health Department on Monday urged residents to report the results of their home COVID-19 tests to them online at douglascountyhealth.com.

“Look for the blue box labeled ‘Report A COVID-19 Home Test,’ then follow the instructions,” the health department requests.

In-home appointments

DCHD is helping those homebound to get vaccinated, scheduling in-home appointments for all three adult vaccination varieties, for any shot in the series.

To arrange this, call the DCHD information helpline at 402-444-3400.

OneWorld child vaccination clinics

OneWorld offers COVID-19 vaccinations at the following clinics:

In south Omaha at the Livestock Building, located at 4920 S. 30th St.
In Bellevue, at 2207 Georgia Ave.
In northwest Omaha, at 4229 N. 90th St.
In Plattsmouth, at 122 S. Sixth St.

OneWorld also offers children’s COVID-19 vaccinations at school health centers:

Bryan High School, located at 4700 Giles Road
Indian Hill Elementary, located at 3121 U St.
Liberty Elementary, located at 2021 St. Mary’s Ave.
Spring Lake Elementary, located at 4215 S. 20th St.

Walk-ins are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis; or you can call 402-734-4110 to make an appointment.

Children’s Hospital

Children’s Hospital is planning to offer dedicated COVID-19 vaccination clinics for about a month, starting by Thursday, Nov. 11 — or sooner, if they are supplied the doses before that.

5-7 p.m. Thursdays at West Village Pointe and Spring Valley offices
8 a.m.-noon Saturdays at West Village Pointe and Spring Valley offices

After Saturday, Dec. 11, pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations will be available by appointment at any Children’s Hospital location.

Tuesday and Thursday appointments available at the Mission Village location, 16909 Q St. Call 402-955-7575 or 402-955-SHOT (7468) for available times.
Thursday and Friday appointments available at the Dundee location, 4825 Dodge St. Call 402-955-7676 or 402-955-SHOT (7468) for available times.

Nebraska Medicine

Nebraska Medicine is offering COVID-19 vaccinations at clinics in several retail pharmacies and health centers around the Omaha-metro.

NebMed will provide Pfizer vaccinations by appointment at:

Eagle Run Health Center, located at 132nd Street and West Maple Road
Fontenelle Health Center, located at 50th Street and Ames Avenue
Girls Inc. Health Center, located at 45th Street and West Maple Road
Old Market Health Center, located at 13th and Leavenworth streets
Village Pointe Health Center, located at 175th and Burke streets

For those looking for walk-in appointments, single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccinations will be available at these pharmacies:

Outpatient Pharmacy at Bellevue Health Center, located at 25th Street and Highway 370, will offer J&J vaccinations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
Outpatient Pharmacy at Durham Outpatient Center, located at 45th and Emile streets, will offer J&J vaccinations from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays; and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the weekends.

Around Omaha

SOUTH OMAHA: Testing and vaccinations are available at OneWorld, located at 4920 S. 30th St. Call 402-734-4110 to make an appointment for vaccinating anyone age 12 and older.

CHARLES DREW HEALTH CENTER: Call 402-451-3553 to schedule an appointment.

CHURCH CLINIC: Metropolitan Community Chuch of Omaha will host a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. No ID is required, but a parent or guardian must be present at the clinic with teens ages 12-18.

MCC FORT OMAHA: Vaccinations also will be distributed Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Metropolitan Community College’s Fort Omaha campus, located at 5300 N. 30th St. Appointments will be made through the county’s vaccination registry.

TOTAL WELLNESS: DCHD has been working with Total Wellness, located at 9320 H Court, to establish a vaccination clinic from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

VETERANS: Any eligible veterans can obtain COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters at the Omaha VA Medical Center’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics’ walk-in hours from 8 a.m.-2:45 p.m. weekdays. Appointments can also be scheduled online.

Sarpy/Cass health district

The Sarpy/Cass Health Department has scheduled vaccination clinics for all COVID-19 vaccine doses, including pediatric doses, at its offices, located at 701 Olson Drive in Papillion:

Tuesdays: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Wednesdays: 1-4:30 p.m.

The health department offers the first and second doses of Pfizer and Modern vaccines, Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) single doses, and booster doses of all three vaccines.

To make an appointment, call 833-998-2275 or 531-249-1873.

Pottawattamie County

The Pottawattamie County Public Health Department urges residents to take advantage of free drive-through COVID-19 testing at:

Hy-Vee Pharmacy on West Broadway
Nomi Health at 1751 Madison Ave.
Any Walgreens pharmacy location

Free take-home test kits are available at:

All Care Health Center, located at 902 S. Sixth St., in Council Bluffs
Pottawattamie County Public Health Department office, located at 600 S. Fourth St., Suite 100, in Council Bluffs

Walk-ins can receive COVID-19 vaccinations at the health department office at:

4-6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays
8 a.m.-noon Saturdays

Vaccinations are also available from 8 a.m. to noon at the Veterans Affairs Building, located at 623 Sixth Ave. in Council Bluffs.

Three Rivers health district

Three Rivers Public Health Department is giving out boosters to those in certain risk categories who have had Pfizer vaccinations. It is also working with area businesses and schools to provide plan more COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

The health department has the necessary forms posted on their website, for minors and adults, for those who would like to fill them out ahead of their visit.

3RPHD’s regular clinic hours:

In Dodge County, the Three Rivers clinic at 2400 N. Lincoln Ave. in Fremont, is open for walk-ins from 4-7 p.m. Tuesdays.
In Saunders County, the Three Rivers clinic in Lake Wanahoo, located at 1320 E. 31st St., is open to walk-ins from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of the month.

Those who are home-bound or require special accommodations but need a COVID-19 test or vaccine can contact the health district at 402-704-2245 to make arrangements.

Off-line help

METHODIST HEALTH INFORMATION: The vaccine is available at most Methodist Physicians Clinic locations. Appointments for the vaccine are recommended and can be made by calling 402-354-CARE.

NEBRASKA VACCINE HOTLINE: Nebraskans can call 531-249-1873 or toll-free at 833-998-2275 for more information on the state’s COVID-19 vaccination process and to get assistance with signing up for a vaccination appointment.

DOUGLAS COUNTY HELPLINE: Local COVID-19 information, in Spanish and English, is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, except for holidays. Call 402-444-3400 for assistance.

IOWA VACCINE HOTLINE: Iowans who need help to find a vaccine appointment can call 211 for assistance or 1-800-244-7431. Older or home-bound Iowans can contact Connections Area Agency on Aging at 712-328-2540 or 1-800-432-9209. For multilingual assistance, call 1-877-558-2609.

NATIONAL HOTLINE: To check vaccine availability in your community, call the national COVID-19 hotline at 1-800-232-0233.