A 36-year-old woman who traveled to the United Kingdom has been diagnosed with the coronavirus and is now in isolation inside the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit at the Nebraska Medical Center. This person was originally being treated at Methodist Hospital in Omaha when test results showed she was positive for COVID-19. This is the first person in the state of Nebraska to test positive for the novel coronavirus who wasn’t a passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. This case is not related to the individuals being isolated at the National Quarantine Unit on the UNMC/Nebraska Medical Center Campus and is not considered a community case because of the individual’s travel history.
We want to emphasize to the community that very few positive cases of the coronavirus will be treated in the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit. The unit has a 10-patient capacity and is reserved for only the most severe cases of the virus, or for use during incidents like the one involving the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Nebraska Medical Center has other areas inside the hospital in which coronavirus patients can be safely treated.
The presence of one case in our community suggests the possibility there are others that are yet to be diagnosed. For that reason, we want to make these suggestions:
- Practice good hand hygiene, including frequent and thorough hand washing and proper use of hand sanitizer
- Avoid touching your face, including your eyes nose and mouth
- Make sure you have all needed medications and supplies on hand, as if you were preparing for a severe snowstorm
We will continue to provide daily updates about the people being quarantined here along with information about any new cases in the Omaha community at www.NebraskaMed.com/COVID.