November 24, 2020 1:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, the Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team reported the highest daily county case count for COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

36 more people have received positive test results. The total number of cases is now at 858. Of those, 792 are people that have received positive test results and 66 are presumptive. There have been 17 deaths. 19 Douglas County COVID-19 patients are being hospitalized, 18 locally and 1 outside the area. 237 people are in isolation. 477 people are in quarantine. That means the staff with the Douglas Public Health Network are supporting 714 people that are in either isolation or quarantine. There have been 18,479 negative test results for COVID-19 in the county.

DPHN said there has been a rash of local cases associated with unsafe behaviors at local church services and gatherings. 4 churches have active COVID-19 outbreaks. The update said those are due to close-contact gatherings where people are hugging and singing, not keeping appropriate distance from others, not wearing masks, hosting large dinners, meetings and prayer groups, and gathering for long periods of time in close quarters. DPHN said a few of the recent local deaths were directly related to unprotected church gatherings. The update said people should limit their interactions, opt for online services where possible, wear a mask and keep their distance from others in their congregation.

Go to www.douglaspublichealthnetwork.org for more local information about COVID-19.