Virus hits 11 workers, 1 patient at Lincoln Regional Center

(KOSA)
Published: Jun. 3, 2020 at 9:41 AM CDT
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Eleven employees and one patient have tested positive for the coronavirus at the state-run psychiatric hospital in Lincoln.

Officials with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said they expect to confirm more cases as testing continues with patients and staff at the Lincoln Regional Center.

Other state facilities have seen similar outbreaks, including the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney, a treatment center for juvenile offenders. Six workers and three teenage boys tested positive for the virus in April.

Some Nebraska prison workers have been confirmed infected as well, as have seven inmates from the Community Corrections Center in Omaha.

Nebraska has confirmed 14,611 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday morning, including 181 deaths. More than 110,000 people have been tested. Hospital capacity is relatively stable, with 42% of hospital beds, 42% of intensive care unit beds and 73% of ventilators available for use.

For some infected people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe illness or death. But for most people, it causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.