Lancaster County COVID-19 risk dial remains in elevated yellow

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Lancaster County’s COVID-19 risk dial is remaining in elevated yellow for the second straight week.

After a rise in cases and hospitalizations, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department moved the dial up from mid-yellow on June 7.

Yellow indicates a moderate risk of the virus spreading in the community.

The health department reported 496 COVID-19 cases last week, a slight decrease from the previous week’s 533.

The seven-day rolling average of hospitalizations dropped from 29.3 to 28.4 as of Monday.

Wastewater surveillance showed a slight decrease in virus particles in comparison to the previous week, the health department reported.

The positivity rate did increase from 14.4% to 16.7% last Saturday.

Health department officials say to follow the current public health guidelines, which include getting vaccinated and wearing a mask if you have COVID-19-like symptoms.

On Tuesday, 34 cases and 32 hospitalizations were reported by the health department.

Upcoming vaccination clinic dates and locations can be found at covid19.lincoln.ne.gov.