A man in his 70s who was hospitalized because of the coronavirus has died, marking the 16th Lancaster County resident to succumb to COVID-19, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird reported Tuesday.
Overall, 22 people remained hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday, including 11 Lancaster County residents, interim Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department Director Pat Lopez said. Five of the 22 patients needed ventilators.
The county confirmed 32 more cases of COVID-19, which brings the total to 3,195 since the pandemic began.Â
Lancaster County's COVID-19 fatalities account for 0.5% of all cases, according to the department's figures.Â
By comparison, Douglas County's 134 COVID-19 deaths occurred in 1.2% of its 10,723 cases.Â
Douglas County continues to have the highest number of total COVID-19 cases, with 1,835 new cases in the last 14 days, followed by Lancaster County with 615 new cases over the past two weeks, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.Â
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Lopez credited the vigilance of community members in taking precautions, social distancing and practicing good hygiene, as well as the early work during the pandemic between health department staff and nursing homes and assisted-living centers to safeguard their residents by restricting access, screening staff and supplying protective equipment to everyone inside.Â
"I think that’s made a tremendous difference," she said.Â
Statewide, there are 27,178 total cases and 332 deaths as of Tuesday night.