Lancaster County COVID-19 Risk Dial Now High Yellow

Health officials say we are headed in the wrong direction.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Director of Health Pat Lopez announced that the COVID-19 risk dial for Lancaster County is now high yellow.

The risk dial has not been this high since early February 2021. Lopez cited many reasons the dial has moved in the wrong direction, including the increase in hospitalizations, positivity rate and cases.

The weekly average of COVID-19 cases doubles every 10 to 12 days according to Lopez. As of Tuesday there were 97 new cases, there haven’t been such high numbers in Lancaster County since January 2021.

In July, hospitalizations tripled from 14 to 43, and in the first week and a half of August there were four deaths, three of which were unvaccinated.

Currently 65 people are hospitalized, 46 of whom are from Lancaster County and four of them are on ventilators.

In Lancaster County, nearly 69% of people 16 and over are fully vaccinated; the county target is 75%.

The first case of the Delta variant was reported in Lancaster County on May 13 and is now the most significant COVID-19 strain in the region.

At this time, there will be no new directed health measures or requirements from the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department. Masks are recommended for everyone indoors and in crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of immunization status.