COVID Dial Sees Slight Improvement

The Panhandle Public Health District reported three more COVID-related deaths as of Monday afternoon, Dec. 7. Two were females from Dawes County; one in her 80s and one in her 90s, and a Sheridan County woman in her 80s.

As of December 4, 27,015 COVID-19 tests have been administered in the Panhandle area, according to the Panhandle Public Health District.

That number is cumulative since March.

Of the 27,015 tested, 6,272 were returned positive. The PPHD reported 2,235 active cases from the positive returns, and 3,958 patients who recovered for a 43.8 percent positivity rate the first week of December.

The highest number of confirmed cases, are between the ages of 20 and 49, followed by the 50 to 59 year age group, 60 to 69 age group and the 10 to 19 age group.

The PPHD reports 79 deaths related to COVID, and 66 active hospitalizations. On December 3, PPHD officials reported 12 additional deaths due to COVID; one female in her 50s from Box Butte County; two females (one in her 80s and one in her 90s) and one man in his 90s in Dawes County; in Cheyenne County there were three women (one in her 40s, one in her 80s and one in her 90s) and one man in his 60s, in Scotts Bluff County there were five men (three in their 60s and two in their 90s) and one woman in his 60s and one in her 80s; and one man in his 60s in Kimball County.

Most of the confirmed cases are females — 3,359 — compared to 2,576 males and 337 unknown gender, according to the PPHD. Close contact is the leading cause of exposure, followed by Community and unknown exposure.

Sidney Public Schools posts its “Current COVID Cases and Quarantines.”

The site shows 42 recovered cases at Sidney High School, two recovered cases at West Elementary School, 20 current quarantine cases at West, 11 at Sidney High School, 10 at North Elementary, seven at Central Elementary, six at South Elementary and 14 at the middle school.

The PPHD encourages everyone to avoid the Three Cs: • Avoid Crowded Places – Avoid gathering in groups where you cannot maintain 6-feet of distance from others, • Avoid Close Contact – Wear a mask over your nose and mouth or maintain 6-feet distance when you are spending more than 15 total minutes with people you don’t live with; and • Avoid Confined Spaces – Avoid enclosed spaces with poor ventilation.