Lancaster County reports record COVID case numbers, 4 deaths Wednesday

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department reported 551 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, the highest number of cases reported in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. The previous high was 418 cases reported on December 4, 2020.

The County’s dashboard showed spikes in both the number of tests collected and the positivity rates this week, with daily positivity rates in January near 30 percent.

There were also four deaths reported. They include a man in his 50s who was unvaccinated, a man in his 60s who was vaccinated, a woman in her 60s who was vaccinated, and a woman in her 70s who was unvaccinated.

The County raised its risk dial to the red level on Tuesday, indicating that the risk of spread in the community is severe.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that more than half of Nebraska’s cases are now the result of the omicron variant.