Ten new deaths from COVID-19 were reported in the Grand Island area Wednesday, pushing deaths statewide to 68.
Individual deaths also occurred in Adams, Custer and Douglas Counties.
Confirmed cases in Nebraska numbered 3,784, up by 426 from Monday. (The state had difficulties with its coronavirus website Tuesday, so the numbers that day didn’t reflect the actual total.)
The 10 central Nebraska deaths were mostly among residents of long-term care facilities and have occurred over the past three days, said Teresa Anderson, director of the Central District Health Department.
A total of 35 deaths have been reported in the three counties served by the district, Hall, Hamilton and Merrick.
“It’s very, very sad,” Anderson said. “We knew this was going to happen, and I’ll start crying if I think too much about it. It’s just hard.”
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Anderson said long-term care facilities are struggling with difficult decisions. The facilities are like homes to their residents, staff know their needs and quirks, and decisions about moving residents are difficult.
“Everybody is doing the best they can with what they have. They have the best of intentions,” Anderson said.
Last week, more than 125 residents and workers at long-term care facilities in the district tested positive, and the number has since risen, she said.
There are now 1,030 confirmed cases in the district.
Douglas County saw its cases jump to 536, up 31. The new cases involve people ranging in age from 6 to 84. The county’s death was a man over the age of 80 with underlying health problems.
Lancaster County saw its coronavirus cases increase by 32 on Wednesday, to a total of 193.
April photos: Nebraska faces coronavirus
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A pedestrian wears a mask while crossing the Dodge Street bridge on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.
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Eloise, 11, Neal, 5, and Edie Sutton, 8, and lead a parade with other neighborhood kids around Regency Park in Omaha on Tuesday. The kids wanted to have a parade to thank essential workers during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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Edie Sutton, 8,carries a handmade sign while parading with other children around Regency Park in Omaha on Tuesday. The kids wanted to have a parade to thank essential workers during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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A duck swims across the Candlewood Reservoir in Omaha on Friday.
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Andrew Bodlak holds Nyla, a Papillon, while hanging out in a hammock at Elmwood Park in Omaha on Saturday. Omaha parks are open again, with social distancing guidelines still in place, after closing on April 8 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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People bicycle through Elmwood Park in Omaha on Saturday. Omaha parks are open again, with social distancing guidelines still in place, after closing on April 8 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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Sisters Kalee Brunner, left, and Tara Bodlak hang out in hammocks together at Elmwood Park in Omaha on Saturday. Omaha parks are open again, with social distancing guidelines still in place, after closing on April 8 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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Lubna Hussein prays before breaking the first fast of the month of Ramadan at her home in Omaha on Friday.
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The sun sets as as families come together to break the first fast of the month of Ramadan at the home of Hesham Basma in Omaha on Friday.
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Norhan Basma, from left, Fadia Alcharabi, Basma Basma, Lubna Hussein and Hadeel Basma come together to break the first fast of the month of Ramadan at Hussein's home in Omaha on Friday.
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Friends, from left, Ariana Alvarez-Arroyo, Mackenzie Henson and Georgia Brown dance in the road while maintaining social distance due to the novel coronavirus pandemic in Omaha on Friday.
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Marcus Butler handles a to-go order Friday at Dante Pizzeria. Many business owners in the Omaha area went into planning mode after Gov. Ricketts announced a series of new directed health measures that will allow restaurants, barbershops, tattoo parlors, salons and massage therapists to reopen on a limited basis.
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The dining room space at Dante was converted to help with the take-out only service.
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Workers place food in the trunks of cars in an alley behind the Capitol District in Omaha in late April. Volunteers distributed food to employees of the Capitol District who aren’t working because of the coronavirus.
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Peppers sit in a box in an alley behind the Capitol District. Volunteers distributed food to employees of the Capitol District who aren’t working due to the coronavirus.
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Jim Bartling in one of his family’s hog barns in Unadilla, Nebraska, on Wednesday. “The problem with being a hog farmer is that I just can’t shut the door and lock it like store owners,” Bartling said. “This is a wound and there is no way to stop the bleeding.”
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Jim Bartling walks back toward his home after making rounds on his hog farm Wednesday in Unadilla, Nebraska. "I saw this coming all the way back when it was in Wuhan. If what was happening was enough to make them shut down so much, I knew it was coming our way," he said.
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Jim Bartling in the farrowing facility on the Bartling Brothers’ farm. “It is only going to get worse if things keep going the way they are going,” he said.
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Handmade signs to support essential workers during the novel coronavirus pandemic outside a home in Omaha on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.
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A chalk rainbow hot air ballon rises up a home's front porch steps in Omaha on Tuesday, April 21, 2020.
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TVs are on as people donate blood at DJ’s Dugout Sports Bar at Miracle Hills in Omaha on Tuesday. While the restaurant and bar is closed during the novel coronavirus pandemic, the space was used for a Red Cross donation site.
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Dick Lerner has his blood drawn at DJ's Dugout Sports Bar at Miracle Hills in Omaha on Tuesday. While the restaurant and bar is closed during the novel coronavirus pandemic, the space was used for a Red Cross donation site.
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A woman takes a photo of the bright but empty stadium at Papillion-La Vista South. Schools across Nebraska have turned on their stadium lights at 20:20 to honor the class of 2020 that will not be able to have prom or graduations.
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Ella Pelletier and Matt Jones, both Papillion-La Vista South seniors, watch as the school’s stadium is lit up as part of the “Be the Light” campaign on Wednesday. Schools across Nebraska have turned on their stadium lights at 20:20 to honor the class of 2020 that will not be able to have prom or graduations.
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A message of encouragement is painted on the fence of a home in Grand Island, which got some better news on Thursday.
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A message is written on a home's window on Friday in Grand Island.
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A quarantine snowman wears a cloth mask and holds a toilet paper on Friday in Grand Island.
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Fireworks erupt during a drive-in fireworks show at Werner Park on Saturday, April 18. The park would have hosted a minor league baseball game that day, but the start of the season has been postponed because of the coronavirus. Thousands watched the fireworks from the stadium's parking lots and surrounding areas.
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People watch fireworks during a drive-in fireworks show at Werner Park on Saturday, April 18. The park would have hosted a minor league baseball game that day, but the start of the season has been postponed because of the coronavirus. Thousands watched the fireworks from the stadium's parking lots and surrounding areas.
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Snow falls at a drive-up mobile food pantry run by the Food Bank off the Heartland and Millard Public Schools in Millard on Thursday. The mobile pantry more than doubled the number of packages of fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, potatoes and pantry staples they normally give out each month in anticipation of increased need due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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Snow falls at a drive-up mobile food pantry run by the Food Bank off the Heartland and Millard Public Schools in Millard on Thursday. The mobile pantry more than doubled the number of packages of fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, potatoes and pantry staples they normally give out each month in anticipation of increased need due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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Terri Connell loads a vehicle at a drive-up mobile food pantry run by the Food Bank off the Heartland and Millard Public Schools as snow falls in Millard on Thursday. The mobile pantry more than doubled the number of packages of fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, potatoes and pantry staples they normally give out each month in anticipation of increased need due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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A message of good health hangs from a home’s front porch in Omaha on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
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A window message shows form a home in Omaha on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
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An image of Jesus is reflected in a puddle during an Easter service at King of Kings Church on Sunday in Omaha. The church installed a large screen in the parking lot to enable drive-up and park services.
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A home displays a message in a front window in Omaha on Friday, April 10.
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Astrid Mitchell, right, and her mother, Katie Mitchell, observe the drive-thru stations Good Friday event at the Prairie Creek Inn Bed & Breakfast on Friday in Walton, Nebraska.
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Hank, a Labrador retriever, does not respect social distancing and gives Morgan Henderson, the owner of Dirty Doodles, a kiss while being groomed at Dirty Doodles in Omaha. The dog grooming service has moved work stations outside so employees can remain six feet apart during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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A message written in chalk on a wall along Martha Street in Omaha on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.
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Traffic is sparse at time on Interstate 80 through Omaha as people are encouraged to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Handwritten notes for customers at Nite Owl in Omaha on Wednesday, April 1, 2020. Nite Owl has been writing personal notes to customers and offering specials, like the Social Distance Daiquiri, while offering curbside take-out as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues.
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Karna Gurung answers a text on his phone at his store located at 822 N 40th Street on Thursday, April 02, 2020. Gurung is translating important information about coronavirus for non english speaking members of his community.
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Rita Otis leads an outdoor Tai Chi class on a grass island at Glenwood Road and Sunset Trail on Wednesday, April 01, 2020. Participants had to maintain a distance of six feet due to coronavirus social distancing measures.
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Rita Otis leads an outdoor Tai Chi class on a grass island at Glenwood Road and Sunset Trail on Wednesday, April 01, 2020. Participants had to maintain a distance of six feet due to coronavirus social distancing measures.
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The Easter Bunny waves to families as they drive by at the Hy-Vee near 144th and Stony Brook Blvd. in Omaha on Saturday, April 4, 2020. The grocery store usually hosts an Easter egg hunt, but went with a drive-thru Easter Bunny visit this year to encourage social distancing in response to the novel coronavirus.
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This sign was installed at Zorinsky Lake Park in Omaha on April 4. The mayor later closed all city parks.
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A ball field is seen through a chainlink fence, at Lee Valley Park in Omaha on Saturday, April 4, 2020. Playgrounds and athletic fields are closed in all Omaha parks.
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A ball field sets empty at Prairie Lane Park in Omaha on Saturday, April 04, 2020. Playgrounds and athletic fields are closed in all Omaha parks.
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A Washington Elementary School sign reads 'Nebraska Strong' on Thursday, April 02, 2020, in Fremont, Nebraska.
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About 100 people line up outside Brickway Brewery & Distillery in Omaha on Monday, April 6, 2020. The Old Market business was giving away free hand sanitizer on tap to anyone who brings their own bottle of 64 ounces or less.
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Don Rupp wears a face mask made by his wife while waiting in line outside Brickway Brewery & Distillery in Omaha on Monday, April 6, 2020. The Old Market business was giving away free hand sanitizer on tap to anyone who brings their own bottle of 64 ounces or less.
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Streets in downtown Grand Island are mostly empty. In Hall County, 35.5% of tests for the coronavirus have come back positive, compared to the 7.65% positive rate statewide.
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Playground equipment is seen wrapped in caution tape at Pier Park on April 6 in Grand Island. Playgrounds are closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
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Russell Hatt smokes a cigarette outside of Fonner Park on April 6 in Grand Island. "I'm a widower, so this is what I do to stay busy. I bet on horses and play Texas Hold 'Em."
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The Kroc Center is illuminated as a symbol of hope in Omaha on Monday, April 6, 2020.
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Rabbi Daniel Blotner puts together Seder-To-Go kits at Chabad House in Omaha on Monday, April 6, 2020. The Seder is a ritual dinner to mark the beginning of Passover, which began on April 8. The free kits and were available for delivery for anyone who is homebound during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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Leah Hanson and others visit their grandmother from outside the Douglas County Health Center in Omaha on Tuesday, April 7, 2020.
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From left, Carol Ann Hixson, Terri Rohmeyer and Carol Carol Coffey wave and blow kisses to a family member from outside the Douglas County Health Center in Omaha on Tuesday, April 7, 2020.
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A woman walks a dog as the sun sets on Elmwood Park in Omaha on Wednesday, April 08, 2020. Omaha has closed all city parks until April 30 to combat COVID-19. The trail system will remain open, but parking lots at trail heads are closed. People must walk or bike in.
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Walking is still allowed at West Papio Trail. Omaha closed all city parks through April 30 to combat COVID-19. While trails and sidewalks remain open, everything else in the parks is closed. Groups larger than 10 people are prohibited, and people must keep a physical distance of 6 feet or more.
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Kennedy Cascio has decorated her home's front door with a symbol for medicine and hearts. Cascio is an intensive care unit nurse at the Bellevue Medical Center and created the display to "show that I am thankful for everyone working on the frontlines," as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues. Photographed in Omaha on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.
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A message is left along a fence at Lewis and Calrk Middle School in Omaha on Thursday, April 09, 2020. Omaha Public Schools have been closed since mid-March, with remote learning for all students, as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues.
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Traffic signs on Dodge Street, near 168th, display self quarantine guideline suggestions on Monday, April 06, 2020.
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A sparrow sit in its nest in the letter "g" in Walgreens sign at 5038 Center Street on Friday, April 10, 2020.
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A parade of families from Carson Wealth drives by Esprit Whispering Ridge Retirement and Assisted Living Facility in Omaha on Thursday, April 30, 2020. The wealth management company also hosted a canned food drive before heading over to the senior home for their 'positivity parade'.
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A parade of families from Carson Wealth drives by Esprit Whispering Ridge Retirement and Assisted Living Facility in Omaha on Thursday, April 30, 2020. The wealth management company also hosted a canned food drive before heading over to the senior home for their 'positivity parade'.
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Mary Alice Pfeifer, 85, watches a parade of families from Carson Wealth drives by Esprit Whispering Ridge Retirement and Assisted Living Facility in Omaha on Thursday, April 30, 2020. The wealth management company also hosted a canned food drive before heading over to the senior home for their 'positivity parade'.
Nancy Gaarder
Nancy Gaarder helps cover public safety and weather events as an editor on The World-Herald's breaking news desk. Follow her on Twitter @gaarder. Email: nancy.gaarder@owh.com
