DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nebraska - There are now 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 coronavirus in Douglas County.
Mayor Jean Stothert was joined by Douglas County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Dr. Pour says, "Nine of those individuals are hospitalized at this time and nine are community acquired. We are following 267 contacts and we are monitoring them daily."
Dr. Pour says the Douglas County Hotline has been very busy with calls from residents with questions about the virus. Call numbers range from 250 to 350 a day.
The Omaha Metro Healthcare Coalition is keeping count of the I-C-U hospital bed space available during this COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Mayor Stothert says in the city of Omaha there are 191 beds and 98 are available. The city has 846 medical and surgical beds and more than half are available. Omaha hospitals have 231 ventilators and 175 are available as of Thursday afternoon.
Mayor Stothert says early preventative measures to prevent the spread of the virus is proving to be successful. She says, "The spread here is nothing like we see in major cities. The restrictions we have in place seem to be working."
Mayor Stothert adds the city will do whatever it takes to keep citizens safe.