The Superior Express -

South Heartland District Health Department (SHDHD) officials reported five additional COVID-19-related deaths of previously reported cases, bringing the health district total to 42.

Michele Bever, SHDHD executive director, said two deaths were Clay County females over 90, both with underlying health conditions, and three deaths were Adams County residents with underlying health conditions, including a female in her 90s, a male in his 70s, and a female in her 70s.

Bever also reported 90 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases Friday through Monday, bringing the cumulative number of cases in the four-county health district to 3,411. “There were fewer positive tests - a little more than half as many - reported to us over the past four days compared to the four-day period the previous weekend,” Bever said. “This decrease is good news, especially since we are two weeks past Thanksgiving weekend, when the number of exposures could have been high. This might reflect residents being diligent during the holiday, keeping their gatherings small and practicing prevention,” she said.

The new confirmed cases for the four-day period include: 47 in Adams, 19 in Clay, 19 in Nuckolls and 5 in Webster. By county, the new cumulative totals are: 2,225 cases in Adams, 539 cases in Clay, 361 cases in Nuckolls, and 286 cases in Webster.

The positivity (percent positive tests) for the week ending December 12 was 14.8 percent, down from 16.8 percent the previous week. By county, the positivity was 14.8 percent in Adams, 15.8 percent in Clay, 20.4 percent in Nuckolls and 11.7 percent in Webster.

“This is going in the right direction overall,” Bever said. “Let’s keep working on this downward trend in our communities – don’t let up on preventing COVID everywhere you go,” she said.