In February, the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit (NBU) was activated for the first time since receiving patients with Ebola virus disease in 2014 in order to care for patients whose chronic health issues exacerbated by COVID-19. One of the Diamond Princess passengers who arrived on February 17 with moderate COVID-19 symptoms and a chronic respiratory issue was immediately transported to the NBU from Eppley Airfield. He eventually was transferred to the NQU when his symptoms subsided. Two other Diamond Princess passengers with chronic health issues also have rotated back and forth between the NQU and the NBU due to their chronic health issues. In early March a Nebraskan with pre-existing health conditions who tested positive for COVID-19 was also admitted to the NBU.
While most people infected with COVID-19 can convalesce at home with the milder symptoms such as a fever and a dry cough, individuals with a compromised immune system often experience more severe symptoms such as pneumonia. People with pre-existing conditions such as respiratory disease, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, or cancer can find their conditions to be made worse by the virus, requiring hospitalization. As the number of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization increases, they will no longer be cared for in the highly-specialized ten-bed NBU but in separate areas of the hospital with enhanced infection control procedures
Jeri Serrati-Goldman, whose husband Carl (pictured above) is one of the COVID-19 patients treated in the NBU, praised the care he received in media interviews. “His treatment, this is the top in the country. You guys are blessed, and we are blessed because of all of you.”