CENTRAL DISTRICT ISSUES DIRECTIVE HEALTH MEASURES FOR HALL, HAMILTON AND MERRICK COUNTIES

CDHD counties in Phase 3 moved to Phase 4 on Sept. 14. Phase 4 DHMs move DHM restrictions on restaurants, bars, churches, child care centers, and other businesses to guidance, and allow outdoor venues to operate at full capacity. Arenas and event centers may operate at 75% capacity, though organizers of events of 500 or more people must still receive local health department approval prior to reopening.

(Para todos nuestros comunicados de prensa de COVID-19, por favor presione aquí - la mayoría están disponibles en español)

CLICK HERE FOR RE-OPENING GUIDELINES - documents are in multiple languages

About the Data 

This dashboard is developed using data obtained by the Central District Health Department (CDHD).  

Note on data updates: Case data (total number of confirmed cases, new cases in last 14 days, recoveries, deaths) are updated three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) around 5:00pm CT. Testing data (total number of tested and positives, and positivity rates) and the risk dial are updated once a week (Mondays) around 5:00pm CT.  

All data are provisional and subject to change. As local public health departments, including CDHD, and laboratories identify new information about cases, there will be corrections that result in changes to this data. Changes may include a small increase or decrease in cumulative counts or counts on prior days. Changes to the data are often the result of transferring cases to the appropriate county, delays in receiving testing results, and/or availability of new/updated data. The appropriate county is determined during the public health investigation of each case. If a positive case is reported and it is determined that the person is not a resident of that particular county, it is transferred to the appropriate county and counted in that local public health department’s cases. Updates may also be made if “unknown” data such as age or gender are replaced with corrected information. 

Note on county-level data: The difference between the CDHD dashboard and other reporting sources may be the result of a variety of reasons such as in delays in reporting and updating at the state level, delays in receiving test results from laboratories, use of different data sources, use of different reporting practices, etc. As stated on the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) webpage, in the event of a discrepancy between DHHS cases and cases reported by local health department officials, data reported by the local health department should be considered the most up to date. 

Note on testing: Testing data includes results from both the state public health laboratory and reference laboratories for tests conducted for individuals that reside the CDHD district. Due to delays in receiving test results and the transferring of cases to the individual’s county of permanent residence, numbers may differ slightly from day to day. “Total tested” includes the total number of individuals tested, not the total number of tests conducted and regardless of the result of the test(s).  

Note on reported positive cases: A positive case is defined as a person with a COVID-19 positive laboratory result. Positive cases are reported to CDHD as soon as results are available. There may be a lag in the reporting. Case counts may differ slightly from day to day or may change on prior days as public health investigations identify new information. At this time, individuals who test positive multiple times are not counted more than once in the total “confirmed cases.” Research shows that a person can test positive for an extended period of time after their initial positive test because of the high level of antibodies that are present in the body despite no longer being contagious or symptomatic. CDHD reviews the data regularly to ensure each person is only counted once. If a person tests positive for COVID but later passes away, their case is still included in the total “confirmed cases” count. 

Note on percent positivity: This percentage is derived using the number of positive tests performed divided by the total number of tests performed each week (Saturday through Sunday). Tests are collated according to the date the specimen was collected; therefore, past data will fluctuate. 

Note on reported recovered cases: Recovered cases are defined as persons reporting that either their symptoms are gone or their illness has ended when interviewed during a case investigation as well as persons still alive at least 30 days after their initial positive test for COVID-19. 

Note on county with positive cases in the last 14 days: The date range for the number of new cases in the past 14 days is based on the date of the last update. For example, if the number of new cases displayed on CDHD’s dashboard on September 10 was ‘105,’ and September 9 was the last posted update, this 14-day range would include all positive cases between August 27-September 9.  

Note on the COVID Risk Dial: This COVID-19 Risk Dial provides a summary of current conditions in the CDHD district community. Each color incorporates federal and national guidance published by public health experts and is coupled with specific guidance; to view the actions you should take in response to the risk dial color, please visit: “Risk Dial Guidance.” The risk dial number is calculated each week and is updated on Mondays around 4:00pm. A total of eight key measures are used to determine the position of the risk dial: (1) current overall positivity rate, (2) current weekly positivity rate, (3) the positivity rate within the past 14 days, (4) number of available adult intensive care units (ICU) at hospitals in the CDHD jurisdiction within the past 7 days (5) number of available ventilators at hospitals in the CDHD jurisdiction within the past 7 days (6) community spread (defined as transmission of an illness for which the source is unknown) within the past 7 days, (7) testing availability based on number of facilities offering COVID tests and testing supplies within the past 7 days, and (8) the volume of contact tracing conducted in a 24 hour period within the past 7 days. These indicators are ranked objectively (using report data) and subjectively (by a group of public health experts who provide additional community perspective), then averaged to produce the final number risk dial number.