Two more Lancaster County residents have died from COVID-19.
The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department on Friday reported the deaths of an unvaccinated woman in her 50s and a vaccinated man in his 70s. Both were hospitalized.
Lancaster County has now reported 280 coronavirus deaths.
A total of 110 coronavirus patients are hospitalized in Lincoln, nearly half residents of other counties.
The county reported 105 new cases Friday, as the Lancaster County Jail reported a dozen cases among inmates between Thursday and Friday.Â
Inmates from six different housing units are involved in the outbreak, according to a news release from the county, and administrators believe the virus is contained within those units.Â
It's unclear how many, if any, of the 12 COVID-positive inmates were vaccinated against the virus. In the release, administrators said they aren't sure how the virus got into the general population at the jail, but vaccinations aren't required among employees.
All inmates and staff are required to wear masks inside the facility.
Lancaster County Corrections Director Brad Johnson said last month that an increasing number of jail inmates and spiking COVID-19 cases make it hard to effectively quarantine new inmates, one of the ways up to this point that jail officials have avoided major outbreaks.
The jail plans to conduct further testing to ensure the outbreak is contained to the affected housing units. The 12 inmates who have tested positive are isolating in the jail’s infirmary and have not required hospitalization.
The facility entered a modified state of lockdown in the wake of the outbreak in an effort to minimize potential exposure to the virus. Inmates in the impacted housing areas are let out in small groups to use the phone and shower.
Visitation and volunteer services have been suspended until further notice, though limited video visitation will be permitted.Â