OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Officials say a third Douglas County Corrections employee has tested positive for COVID-19 as the number of virus cases continues to rise in the state.
The ill corrections officer is recovering at home, said Corrections Director Mike Myers. The two other officers who contracted the virus have recovered and returned to work.
Myers said the new case appears to have been contracted in the community and isn’t related to the earlier cases.
The state Department of Health and Human Services said there have been 14,101 virus cases and 170 deaths since the outbreak began. The number of cases increased by 196 Sunday.
More than half of the state’s virus cases are located in four counties: Douglas, Dakota, Hall and Lancaster.
Officials say that 46% of the intensive care hospital beds in the state and 76% of the ventilators remain available.
On Monday, more social-distancing regulations will be eased in the state. The relaxed rules will allow for larger crowds at public events and bars and other attractions will be open for the first time since March.
For some infected people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe illness or death. But for most people, it causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.
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