OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Health officials say Nebraska hospitals are straining to cope with the surge in coronavirus cases and they urge the public to wear masks and take other precautionary measures, even if they aren't legally required to do so.
The state said 21% of Nebraska’s hospital beds were filled with COVID-19 patients on Wednesday. Gov. Pete Ricketts has said he will impose more social distancing restrictions if that figure reaches 25% of all hospitalizations.
The state reported its second-highest daily total of confirmed cases on Wednesday, 2,812, raising its overall total since the pandemic started to 106,617.
It also reported 10 new COVID-19 deaths, raising the state death toll to 826.