Nebraska Joint Information Center Update
RELEASE DATE: Jun 16, 2020
COVID-19 Case Updates
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Dashboard
16,851 positive tests — 122,662 negative tests — 220 deaths
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Leading Counties (Cities) |
Hospital Beds |
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Douglas (Omaha) |
5734 |
Staffed Beds |
3,874 |
|
Dakota (South Sioux City) |
1,724 |
Percent of Beds Available |
43% |
|
Hall (Grand Island) |
1,562 |
Percent of ICU Available |
47% |
|
Lancaster (Lincoln) |
1,480 |
Percent of Vents Available |
77% |
|
Sarpy (Bellevue, Papillion) |
907 |
18 counties report zero cases 13 counties have only one case
160 Active Hospitalizations 1,088 Cumulative Hospitalizations 10,351 Known Recoveries
Source: DHHS Dashboard |
|
|
Dawson (Lexington) |
845 |
||
|
Colfax (Schuyler) |
647 |
||
|
Platte (Columbus) |
647 |
||
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Dodge (Fremont) |
638 |
||
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Saline (Crete) |
520 |
||
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Madison (Norfolk, Madison) |
333 |
||
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Adams (Hastings) |
278 |
||
United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
2,085,769 cases — 115,644 deaths
Globally World Health Organization Situation Report
7,823,289 cases — 431,541 deaths
Johns Hopkins University of Medicine COVID-19 Dashboard
8,058,427 cases — 437,473 deaths
State of Nebraska Updates
Gov. Pete Ricketts’ Office https:--governor.nebraska.gov Test Nebraska
NEW Gov. Pete Ricketts announced in his Monday news conference the next steps in the state’s plan to loosen COVID-19 restrictions. The new directed health measures (DHMs) will take effect June 22 and ease restrictions on businesses and activities. Most counties in Nebraska (89 of 93) will move to Phase 3 of the reopening. Dakota, Hall, Hamilton and Merrick counties will move to Phase 2.
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Outline of the Phase 3 DHM changes, click here.
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Outline of the Phase 4 DHM changes, click here.
NEW Felicia Quintana-Zinn, deputy director for the Division of Public Health of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) reported that DHHS has developed a Long-Term Care Coronavirus Phasing Guidance for responsibly easing restrictions in LTC facilities while coronavirus remains in communities across Nebraska. The LTC Phasing Guidance mirrors the Directed Health Measure phases to allow facilities a standardized tool to determine when they should ease restrictions based off of their community data.
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LTC Phasing Guidance, click here.
NEW Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) Commissioner Matthew Blomstedt said schools will resume instruction this fall with students in the classroom.
A full video of Monday’s press briefing is available by clicking here.
NEW https://getnebraskagrowing.nebraska.gov/
At his news conference June 11, Gov. Ricketts provided updates on new grant programs that will award $387 million in grants, using federal coronavirus relief dollars, to help get the Nebraska economy growing.
“Our Get Nebraska Growing initiatives are part of $7.8 billion in federal assistance that has come to Nebraska to aid our coronavirus response,” said Gov. Ricketts. “These business, agriculture, and rural broadband grants will directly address the economic hardships that our state continues to face as we recover from the pandemic.”
The Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED), Nebraska Departments of Labor (NDOL) and Agriculture (NDA) will administer the programs. Each addresses a specific economic challenge or need created by the coronavirus pandemic.
In an effort to accommodate expanded testing efforts for all Nebraskans, testing continues to be phased in for the most highly populated counties. People aged 15 to 35 in Douglas county can now schedule a test. This is in addition to the following priority categories already open for scheduling a test: first responders, health care providers, meatpacking workers, military employees, anyone working in a long-term care facility or nursing home, people 65 years old and over, and anyone who has been around someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Additionally, there is not limiting criteria for any individuals living in the state’s remaining counties to schedule a test.
Individuals must still go to the website TestNebraska.com or TestNebraska-es for Spanish and complete an assessment to schedule an appointment for testing.
NEW TestNebraska – upcoming locations, dates and times
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Location |
Date-Time |
Address |
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Omaha |
June 15-20, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. |
455 N. 10th St, Omaha When you arrive at the CHI Health Center, please enter Lot D. The entrance to Lot D is located off Cuming St., to the north of the parking lot. |
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Blair |
June 17, 4 to 6 p.m. |
Memorial Community Hospital, 810 N. 22nd St., Blair |
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Burwell |
June 15-17, 8 a.m. to noon |
Burwell Fire House, 917 G St., Burwell |
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Scottsbluff |
June 19-20, 8 a.m. to noon |
18 W. 16th St. Scottsbluff |
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O'Neill |
June 19-20, 8 a.m. to noon |
Holt County Dept. of Roads, 1806 108th Road, O'Neill |
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Kearney |
June 20-21, 8 a.m. to noon |
Buffalo Co Fairgrounds, 3807 Avenue N, Kearney |
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Falls City |
June 17-18, 8 a.m. to noon |
Community Medical Center, 3307 Barada St., Falls City |
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Columbus |
June 15-17, 8 a.m. to noon |
Columbus Community Hospital, 4600 38th St., Columbus |
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York |
June 18-19, 8 a.m. to noon |
York County Fairgrounds, 2345 N. Nebraska Ave,. York |
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Valentine |
June 21 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and June 22, 8 a.m. to noon |
Valentine Fire Hall, 224 S. Hall St. Valentine |
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Chadron |
June 17, 8 a.m. to noon |
Community Hospital, 825 Centennial Drive, Chadron |
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Alliance |
June 18, 8 a.m. to noon |
Alliance Fire Department, 315 Cheyenne Ave. Alliance |
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Bellevue |
June 19-20, 8 a.m. to noon |
Bellevue Fire Training Center, 3100 SP Benson Dr. Bellvue |
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S. Sioux City |
June 25-26, 8 a.m. to noon |
Dakota City Fire Hall, 208 S. 21st St. Dakota City |
In May, Nebraska residents completed a total of 248,225 COVID-19 assessments through TestNebraska. A total of 886 Nebraska residents tested positive for COVID-19 that month. Negative test results during May totaled 23,170, and inconclusive results were shared with 45 people that month. The average turnaround time for tests to return results was 49.9 hours.
Nebraska Attorney General’s Office
https:--ago.nebraska.gov-news-attorney-general-warning-regarding-covid-19-scams
Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NCDHH) https:--ncdhh.nebraska.gov-
Nebraska Department of Corrections https:--corrections.nebraska.gov-ndcs-coronavirus-health-update.
Nebraska Department of Economic Development https:--opportunity.nebraska.gov-nded-covid19-
Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy http:--deq.ne.gov-NDEQProg.nsf-onWeb-COVID
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) COVID-19 Information | DHHS News Releases
Nebraska Department of Insurance https:--doi.nebraska.gov-coronavirus-covid-19-information.
Nebraska Department of Labor NEworks.nebraska.gov and dol.nebraska.gov
NEW The Nebraska Department of Labor (NDOL) reports that new unemployment claims continued to decline. Spreadsheets showing regular and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims data are available here and will be updated every Thursday.
There were 4,697 new regular unemployment insurance claims filed during the week ending June 6. This is a decrease of 7.57 percent from the previous week, when 5,082 initial claims were filed. The highest number of new claims filed during the pandemic was 26,539 claims during the week ending April 4. There were 1,037 new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims filed last week compared to 1,079 the prior week, a decrease of 3.9 percent.
There were 58,363 continued weeks of regular unemployment claimed last week. This is a slight increase from the prior week (57,394), a difference of 969 or 1.68 percent. Continued weeks refer to the individual weeks of unemployment claimed after a person applies for benefits. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the highest number of continued weeks was in the second week of 2010 when there were 26,075 continued weeks claimed. There were 22,142 continued weeks of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claimed last week compared to 17,299 the week prior, a decrease of 28 percent.
With the easing of Directed Health Measures, the majority of the top 50 occupations with the largest amount of claimed weeks went down on average of 29 percent since the week ending May 9. The occupations with the largest percentage drop in weeks claimed were dentists, general (88%), dental hygienists (80%), and dental assistants (77%). The three occupations with the largest drop in weeks claimed are hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists (-794), retail salespersons (-756), and waiters (-661). Of 775 reported occupations, 76 percent had a decrease in weeks claimed from the week ending May 9 to the week ending May 30.
Total benefits paid last week were nearly $63 million, including regular benefits, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), $600 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) payments and payments under the additional 13 weeks of benefits available through the CARES Act (Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation). Last week also saw around 4,769 new individuals receive benefit payments.
See the entire news release: https://dol.nebraska.gov/PressRelease/Details/165
Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles DMV news releases
Gov. Ricketts’ executive order 20-05 extends the expiration date of all valid driver’s licenses, CDLs, state IDs, titles, and registrations due to expire on or after March 1. All credentials will remain valid until 30 days after the order has been lifted.
Nebraska Department of Natural Resources https:--dnr.nebraska.gov-.
Congratulations to Katie Ringland and the NeDNR Floodplain Division on being named National Floodplain Coordinator of the Year for 2019 for their tireless work during the spring floods.
To support National Flood Insurance Program policyholders amid the COVID-19 pandemic, FEMA is extending its 30-day grace period for policy renewals up to 120 days. This is effective for National Flood Insurance Program policies with an expiration date between February 13 – June 15, 2020.
For more information, visit the FEMA website https:--nfipservices.floodsmart.gov-
FEMA also has some guidance on flood insurance claims during this time. It allows for the claims to be adjusted remotely without an adjustor visiting the property.
Nebraska Department of Revenue https:--revenue.nebraska.gov-
During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Nebraska Department of Revenue provides guidance, direction, or pertinent public information such items may be found here. The most current information will be posted to the department’s website under “Featured Information”. Taxpayer Assistance is also available online and by phone, and contact information may be found here.
Lottery https:--nelottery.com-homeapp-article-4220-display
The Nebraska Lottery mobile app has been updated with a Ticket Scanner feature. Players can check their Scratch and Lotto tickets for prizes and save a trip to a retailer. Visit nelottery.com-mobileapp for more information. Nebraska Lottery players with prizes up to $19,999 are encouraged to claim by mail. Instructions for claiming prizes by mail can be found at https:--nelottery.com-homeapp-article-4220-display .
Nebraska Department of Transportation
The Traffic Count Dashboard will be updated weekly and can be viewed using the following link: https:--gis.ne.gov-portal-apps-opsdashboard-index.html#-4473552a18f34645ad0dede3ae1105ce
Nebraska Emergency Management Agency https:--nema.nebraska.gov-news
The State Emergency Operations Center at NEMA will continue its virtual activation in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
NEW Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Game and Parks will begin restoring limited overnight lodging in park cabins June 18 while continuing to protect the public and staff from the spread of COVID-19. Starting June 18 and continuing until further notice, any cabins not presently reserved will be available for rental for Thursday, Friday or Saturday night stays, with Sunday checkouts. Any new reservations will be subject to availability, and a minimum two-night stay will be required for new reservations. The cabins will not be available Sunday through Wednesday nights to allow for thorough cleaning and disinfection between guest stays. Read more at: http:--magazine.outdoornebraska.gov-2020-06-game-and-parks-to-restore-limited-overnight-lodging-in-park-cabins-june-18-
Nebraska Military Department
NEW The Nebraska National Guard has 309 Airmen and Soldiers currently on duty for COVID-19 response efforts. A total of 642 have served in state response efforts to date, providing mobile testing and distributing personal protected equipment (PPE). The Nebraska National Guard support to food banks has concluded successfully as volunteers have returned to perform this important mission throughout the state.
An additional 684 National Guardsmen assisted the Nebraska State Patrol, Omaha Police and Lincoln Police from May 31 to June 9 to ensure the safety of peaceful demonstrators and protect residents and property after curfews were put in place by Lincoln and Omaha mayors. All personnel who supported this mission have been tested for COVID-19 and those who tested positive are self-isolation. Those potentially exposed to a known positive person are self-quarantined.
The Nebraska National Guard will be updating this album with photos throughout the COVID-19 response.
Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office
To obtain a PDF copy of the Nebraska State Fire Marshal Office’s electronic burn permit, contact Assistant State Fire Marshal Doug Hohbein by email at doug.hohbein@nebraska.gov. The issuance and use of electronic burn permits will terminate 30 days after the COVID-19 declared State of Emergency has been withdrawn.
Nebraska State Patrol
Nebraska State Troopers continue to assist the state’s COVID-19 response by providing on-site security at several testing locations throughout the state Troopers have also taken on the task of transporting test samples collected at various testing locations to the state testing lob at St. Elizabeth’s Regional Medical Center as part of the Test Nebraska initiative. Troopers and Investigators also remain focused on the mission of keeping Nebraska safe. If anyone needs assistance on the road or sees an impaired or dangerous driver, they can call *55 or 800-525-5555 to reach the NSP Highway Helpline.
Office of the Chief Information Officer https:--cio.nebraska.gov-news-pressreleases-index.html
Public Service Commission
State Treasurer’s Office https:--treasurer.nebraska.gov- 402-471-8497 or 877-572-9688
State Partner Updates
American Red Cross Sign up to donate plasma RedCrossBlood.org-plasma4covid.
NEW Beginning June 15, and for a limited time, the American Red Cross is testing all blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies, providing donors insight into whether they have been exposed to this coronavirus. At the same time, there continues to be an urgent need for blood donations as hospitals resume surgeries and treatments that require blood products. Antibody testing will indicate if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to this coronavirus, regardless of whether they developed symptoms. Donations will be tested using samples pulled at the time of donation and sent to a testing laboratory where they will also undergo routine infectious disease testing. The Red Cross is not testing donors to diagnose illness, referred to as a diagnostic test. A positive antibody test result does not confirm infection or immunity. COVID-19 antibody test results will be available within 7-10 days in the Red Cross Blood Donor App or donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org. The test has been authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Nebraska Food Security Task Force — To donate visit:
Food Bank for the Heartland https:--donate.foodbankheartland.org
Food Bank of Lincoln https:--www.lincolnfoodbank.org-donate-.
Nebraska Impact and its COVID-19 Relief Fund is raising funds to help mitigate the effects of COVID-19 in Nebraska. To donate, visit https:--neimpact.org-.
Natural Resources Districts (NRDs):
NRD recreation areas across Nebraska are open, but may have closures and limitations on facilities. Call the local NRD to ask about camping, bathrooms, water access, etc. Find a list of NRD recreation areas at www.nrdnet.org-recreation.
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Nebraska Family Helpline: 1-888-866-8660
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Rural Response Hotline (for Farmers and Ranchers): 1-888-464-0258
University of Nebraska Medical Center | Nebraska Medicine https:--www.unmc.edu-coronavirus-media.html
Federal Partners
Federal Emergency Management Agency www.fema.gov Rumor Control How to Help
Center for Disease Control and Prevention Guidance on daily life and coping
Federal Bureau of Prisons https:--www.bop.gov-coronavirus-index.jsp
Internal Revenue Service https:--www.irs.gov-coronavirus-tax-relief-and-economic-impact-payments
National Institutes of Health https:--www.nih.gov-health-information-coronavirus
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) https:--www.osha.gov-SLTC-covid-19-
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)-Center for Disease Control https:--faq.coronavirus.gov-
U.S. Department of Treasury Resources for Financial Relief Assistance for Small Businesses.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Coronavirus Veteran FAQ
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Safety and COVID_19 FDA COVID-19 webpage
U.S. Small Business Administration www.SBA.gov-Coronavirus
Other Resources
Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 map with world case information Johns Hopkins Resource Center.
Mayo Clinic information about COVID-19 COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool website
World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Pandemic information Public Advice