Infectious disease specialists with Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center shared an update on COVID-19 in the state on Monday.
Nebraska Med/UNMC say they are currently seeing the largest surge of cases and hospitalizations since the pandemic began. In a Monday afternoon media release, they said COVID-19 has now killed nearly 500 Nebraskans, and that, "many more are likely to die if we don’t take more action immediately."
The specialists say, "We can’t emphasize this enough: COVID-19 ISN’T a political or ideological issue. Our advice is the same regardless of political leadership at any level."
They are encouraging members of the public to continue COVID-19 mitigation efforts including:
- Wear a face covering in public
- Avoid large gatherings and close contact indoors
- Maintain at least six feet distance from others in public
- Practice good hand hygiene
- Stay home and call your doctor if you are ill
- Quarantine at home if you have close contact with someone with COVID-19
- Cooperate with public health in tracking exposures and illness
According to the release, daily counts of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are now equal to the state's May peak and rising rapidly. The specialists say however, continued lax social distancing measures and fully opened schools, paired with cooler weather that drives activities indoors and the annual flu season could have the potential for a "perfect storm." They say to absorb the increasing load of patients, Nebraska is relying on hospitals that are currently more than 85% full, which the specialists say is a very different scenario than in April and May, when hospitals were 50% full.
The rest of the release reads as follows:
We understand everyone has pandemic fatigue – we do, also. But we are hearing too many COVID patient stories that start with, “I went to a party” or “I visited extended family, but everyone seemed well.” You’ve seen it on your Facebook feeds – a dozen friends eating dinner in a small indoor space with no masks in sight. This is the perfect environment for COVID-19 to continue to spread, which threatens the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors and family members. We can’t let down our guard.
Finally, the COVID-19 response isn’t an all or nothing proposition. Many states and countries have shown it is possible to suppress spread without going into complete lock-down. We can strike an effective balance. Now is clearly not the time to relax restrictions, but by following the precautions mentioned above, we can weather the storm this fall and winter and still while supporting our economy and overall community well-being. Together, we can emerge in the spring to a vaccine and a clearer road back to normal.