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Omaha area woman is state’s first confirmed case of Coronavirus

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LINCOLN - Gov. Pete Ricketts announced that the first presumptive positive case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had been reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

“As we receive news of the first case of coronavirus in our state, I continue to urge Nebraskans to practice healthy habits to avoid transmitting germs,” said Gov. Ricketts. “Like a snowstorm, Nebraskans should be planning in case they need to be at home for an extended period, and they should also plan in case schools close. At the same time, I want to assure Nebraskans that State leaders and medical professionals across Nebraska are doing their utmost to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on public health.”

The case is travel-related. The patient is a woman in her 30s from Doug as county who recently returned from England at the end of February. She started experiencing symptoms and was hospitalized at Methodist Hospital on March 5. Yesterday, public health officials received notification that this person could possibly have the virus, and they immediately ordered COVID-19 testing, which came back positive this afternoon. Currently, she is being transferred from the progressive care unit at Methodist Hospital to the Biocontainment Unit at Nebraska Medicine / the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).

DHHS is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the local health department to identify additional people who came in close contact with this person in order to decrease the spread of the illness. These people will be self-isolated and actively monitored twice daily by public health officials for fever and respiratory symptoms. If they start experiencing symptoms, they will immediately undergo further testing.