3 New Deaths, 25 New Cases in Douglas County Today; 15 Residents Hospitalized

(DCCRT) Douglas County COVID-19 Test Results: As of 12:00 pm Today, Friday, December 4, 2020, there are TWENTY-FIVE (25) people with new positive test results, ONE (1) new presumptive and THREE (3) more deaths since our noon case update yesterday. The total number of cases (people with positive test results and presumptive) in Douglas County is now at 1,036*. Currently, there are FIFTEEN (15) Douglas County COVID-19 patients that are being hospitalized, 13 locally and 2 out-of-the-area. Our Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, under the direction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Public Health Officer and Douglas Public Health Network continue to devote all resources available to our local COVID efforts. Three More COVID-19 Related Deaths of Douglas County Residents Our Douglas County Public Health Officer, Dr. Robert Dannenhoffer, has confirmed the deaths of three additional Douglas County residents from the COVID-19 virus. Our twentieth COVID-related death is an 87-year-old man who was diagnosed with COVID on November 1, 2020. The man, a Veteran, was in hospice and died at his home on Monday, November 23. DPHN was just notified of his death last night. Douglas County’s twenty-first death was an 89-year-old man diagnosed with COVID on November 12, 2020, and hospitalized the following day. He was later released and also died in hospice at home. His death was reported to DPHN yesterday. Our twenty-second death was a 63-year-old woman who was diagnosed and admitted to the hospital on November 21, 2020. She died this morning at the hospital. In the interest of privacy for the loved ones of these beloved residents, no additional information will be released. “Douglas County today is reporting three new COVID-related deaths of local residents. On behalf of my family, my fellow Board of Commissioners, Dr. Dannenhoffer, DPHN staff and the DCCRT team, we send our sincere condolences and prayers to the family, friends and neighbors of these cherished residents,” commented Commissioner Tim Freeman. “We are logging new COVID cases at an unprecedented rate in Douglas County, and unfortunately we are likely to see more tragic deaths in the weeks to come. The only way to reverse this trend is to take personal actions to keep yourselves and your loved ones safe. This includes following the precautions outlined in this report.” Misleading Headline in News-Review story The print edition of the News-Review on Thursday, December 3, 2020, contained a misleading headline. The headline stated: “Cases jump at senior centers.” While there have been COVID-19 cases at local long-term care facilities, there has not been an increase in cases associated with local senior centers in Douglas County, including senior dining sites. Please disregard this headline. Weekly COVID Series: Week 2, Day 5: Why Wear a Mask? It is Friday, and what better day to talk about fashion than today? Today is our last story for our COVID series on why you should consider wearing a mask. Stay tuned next week for our new weekly COVID series. So, back to Fashion Friday, yes, we said fashion. Yes, here we are in 2020, and who would have thought in January 2020, that face masks would be everywhere, including on our faces. While no one really likes wearing masks, they’re really important these days. So, we thought, why not have some fun and create or decorate face masks DIY style. When it comes to face coverings, many people shudder at the thought of how a mask will make them look. Well, we are here to tell you that they can be an awesome fashion statement, too. We are all in the same boat with wearing masks, so why not have some fun with the look and design? If you are able to sew your own mask, great! Here is a quick and easy mask tutorial with a downloadable template. So, head to the fabric store to pick out a cool piece of fabric or two, or use a remnant piece of material you have on hand, or clean and recycle an old T-shirt. If you do not wish to make a mask, they are available for free or to purchase at a number of locations in our area. So that brings up another question we get asked: “Can you safely decorate a face mask?” Absolutely! You can take a plain mask and embellish it with your own DIY design with paint, ribbon, buttons or stickers. Click here for 5 easy (and safe) design ideas for decorating a face mask. Get the entire family involved in the project. You can make a funny mask for your Dad, a super hero mask for your kids or holiday clad mask for yourself. Please, choose to mask up Douglas County, and remember to Celebrate the Season in Style. Local Cases Being Supported in Isolation and Quarantine Currently, DPHN is supporting 187 cases in isolation, as well as another 336 contacts in quarantine in Douglas County. Isolation is recommended for confirmed and presumptive cases, quarantine is recommended for contacts of confirmed or presumptive cases. Currently, staff is supporting an astounding 523 total contacts in isolation or quarantine. This number represents a snapshot of the significant amount of work being done by our county and Douglas Public Health Network to help control the spread of COVID-19. Facebook Live with Dr. Bob Please join us TODAY, Friday, December 4, 2020 at 4:00 pm for the next Facebook Live event with Dr. Bob. hosted by DPHN on the DPHN Facebook page. Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, our Douglas County Public Health Officer will continue their normal schedule of Facebook “Live Q&A Updates” next week with both his Tuesday night at 6:00 pm and Friday night at 4:00 pm on the DPHN Facebook page. Residents are still able to submit their COVID-19 questions to Dr. Bob during the live shows, but you can also email your questions to: Facebookquestions@douglaspublichealthnetwork.org. Dr. Bob and the DPHN team will do their best to respond to as many questions as they can during their weekly updates.