Virus risk: Slight uptick Top News Although there is just one COVID-19 patient in Great Plains Health hospital in North Platte, the west central health department’s “risk dial” inched upward Thursday. There were 27 known positive cases during the week of March 31-April 6, said Shannon Vanderheiden, the executive director of the West Central Department Health District. There has also been an increase in the weekly positivity rate – the number of positive cases compared to the number of people tested. On the other hand, the number of overall individuals affected by the virus declined, Vanderheiden said in announcing the risk dial rating. In the six counties of the health district with a total population of about 37,000, 328 people have active COVID-19 cases.