Coronavirus

Health officials plead with public

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Seven months into the coronavirus pandemic, local health officials and those who work with them admitted they're overwhelmed and in need of community help.

Four Corners Health Department Executive Director Laura McDougall started the Oct. 15 briefing update with new confirmed case numbers throughout Nebraska and then narrowing to the district, then pinpointing Seward County.

In the week of Oct. 8-14 public health officials confirmed 228 cases in the Four Corners Health District. Ninety-nine of those were confirmed from Oct. 13-14. Oct. 14 was also the day that the district surpassed 1,000 total cases. One week of transmission is responsible for nearly a fourth of total cases in the district since the start of the pandemic in mid-March.

McDougall said there are 10 people from the district currently hospitalized with ages ranging from their 30s to 80s and that they're awaiting death certificates on possible COVID-related deaths. McDougall also said, through contact tracing, they've began to see outbreaks in the region originating from churches, businesses, schools and even in nursing homes.

Because of the recent outbreaks, McDougall addressed those involved in the briefing with a prepared statement.

“It's a community problem,” she said. “This is going in a direction, rapidly, that is terribly wrong. As a health department, we have been working tirelessly to trace to prevent people from coming into contact with those infected. We're tired, we're exhausted and we're losing the battle.

“We need the community to come in and pitch in and help others, and we need to social distance as role models, ourselves, and help others do the right thing.”

Margaret Brink, president of Four Corners Health Department's Board of Health, thanked McDougall for that report and said every community needs to hear that. She also told those at the briefing the the board would do whatever it can to support communities and be aware of potential outbreaks.

Seward County confirmed 75 new cases of coronavirus from Oct. 8-16, which brought the county's total to 389. Total cases in the Four Corners district increased by 419 in two weeks, 256 from Oct. 10-16.

Milford Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Wingard and Seward Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Josh Fields agreed with McDougall.

Wingard thanked local health officials for their cooperation. He said that he's learned some families have been less than cooperative with contact tracing questions. At Milford, they've had 30 students quarantined in a two-day stretch, all stemming from exposure after school.

“I know the direction we're going and our teachers are overwhelmed,” he said. “Our students are amazing. They're leading it, they're leading the charge. They're making people wear the masks so they can keep doing what they're doing.”

Fields agreed and said he's been involved in conversations on how to prevent possible outbreaks. Fields said he's been satisfied by steps taken during school and school-related activities, but it's what's happening away from school that's made him nervous.

“It's becoming more and more related to family events. It's churches and it's becoming more and more difficult to manage learning,” Fields said. “Our goal is to keep school going and that's what's best for kids. We'll do our best and hopefully everyone else will help so we can continue on.”

The Rev. Dr. Russell Sommerfeld said Concordia's continued to see cooperation on campus. As of Oct. 16 the school only had one active case of coronavirus among staff and two among its student population. Sommerfeld credited those low numbers on the school's decision to stay at Phase 3 of reopening and communication with students to adhere to the same safety precautions outside of school as they do on campus. Sommerfeld said the school is aware that students will leave for semester break on Nov. 24 and then return Jan. 11 and that officials are “not sure how things will be at that point.”

Memorial Health Care Systems CEO Roger Reamer said intensive care unit bed capacity and ventilators haven't been an issue as much as staffing. Because COVID-positive inpatients require two-week care, as opposed to the typical four-to-five-day care that Bryan Heath (which is in partnership with Memorial Hospital) averages, that's forced more time and attention from staff onto COVID patients than other patients. Reamer said Memorial Hospital has a staff contingency plan in place and that the hospital is prepared if it needs to care for patients with coronavirus.

Tom Barnett, new emergency response coordinator, said supplies for personal protective equipment are adequate, although they may be more difficult to get shipments in the future should cases continue to increase.

Reamer said it's important for the public to get flu shots this fall. He said Memorial Health Care Systems has conducted 1,000 more flu shots this year than this time last year, which is encouraging.

“That is the one single way we can help hospital capacity the most,” Reamer said. “If we have a normal flu season on top of COVID, we'll be in trouble.”