North Central District Health Department (NCDHD) has been made aware of 84 new cases in the district since the last reporting on 1/11: 3-Antelope; 1-Boyd; 1- Brown; 0-Cherry; 9-Holt; 1-Keya Paha; 55-Knox; 10-Pierce; 4-Rock.
NCDHD regrets to notify the public of three additional COVID-19 deaths: one Antelope County woman, one Holt County male, and one Pierce County woman, all in their 80s. NCDHD extends its sincerest condolences to the families.
NCDHD is pleased to announce 224 new recoveries since the last reporting on 1/7/2021: 29-Antelope; 6-Boyd; 20-Brown; 19-Cherry; 9-Holt; 0-Keya Paha; 76-Knox; 37-Pierce; 0-Rock.
NCDHD has received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and is wrapping up vaccinations for Phase 1A partners. If you believe you qualify for Phase 1A but were not vaccinated, please visit the NCDHD webpage and sign up on the designated survey. On the NCDHD Website there are sign-ups for individuals 75+, businesses in Phases 1B, and a survey for individuals in the general public who can attend a clinic at a moment’s notice in the event extra vaccine is available. For assistance filling out with survey, please call the following agencies in your area: Elgin Public Library, Elgin Senior Center, Neligh Public Library, Neligh Senior Center, Ainsworth Public Library, Ainsworth Senior Center, Boyd County Senior Center, Valentine Public Library, Valentine Senior Center, Stuart Township Library, Atkinson Public Library, Atkinson Senior Center, O’Neill Chamber of Commerce, Bloomfield Public Library, Creighton Public Library, Eastern Township Library, Lied Lincoln Township Library, Verdigre Public Library, Crofton Senior Center, Osmond General Hospital, Osmond Library, Plainview Library, Plainview Senior Center, Pierce Public Library, Pierce Senior Center, Rock County Public Library, and Rock County Senior Center.
NCDHD thanks all area hospitals who were instrumental in attaining this number. NCDHD will notify the public as the district transitions to each phase. The speed of transition depends heavily on vaccine availability. Below is a tentative timeline for district COVID-19 vaccinations:
- Late December to Mid-January: Phase 1A Healthcare personnel providing direct patient care and/or are exposed to infectious materials and long-term care facility staff and residents.
- Mid-January to Mid-April: Phase 1B- Vaccine will be allocated to those 75 years and older, first responders, those in the education sector, and those working with critical infrastructure (i.e. food/agriculture facilities, utilities, transportation, postal workers, etc.).
- Maid-April-May: Phase 1C- Vaccines will be allocated to those 65 years of age and over, vulnerable populations (disabled, homeless, etc.), and those in congregate settings (incarcerated, colleges/universities, etc.).
- May – October: Phase 2 – Vaccine will be made available to the public.
NCDHD COVID-19 testing sites offer a 15-minute rapid test and/or the gold standard PCR test. The rapid test is only offered to individuals who are currently exhibiting symptoms associated with COVID.
All testing is offered free of charge at the below locations:
- O’Neill: Monday- Thursday from 8:30-10:30am at the north parking lot of the O’Neill Armory, located at the corner of 4th and Hynes Ave.
- Bassett: Tuesdays from 1:00pm-3:00pm at the Rock County Fair Grounds.
- Pre-registration for testing at www.testnebraska.com is highly encouraged, but not required.
- The last patient will be scheduled 15 minutes before the scheduled end of the clinic.
- Valentine: Testing will be on Friday, January 15th from 1:30-3:30PM. Effective January 18th, testing will only occur on Tuesdays at the Valentine United Methodist Church, located at 804 E. 5th St. Valentine, NE. Rapid tests are not available at this location. This test site in hosted by Cherry County Hospital.
On January 6, 2021, Governor Ricketts issued a proclamation declaring January 22, 2021 as a Statewide Day of Prayer. January 22nd is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a U.S. Supreme Court decision which struck down Nebraska’s laws protecting unborn babies. Governor Ricketts’ proclamation encourages Nebraskans to pray for an end to abortion and a deepening in respect for the humanity of unborn children. The Governor’s proclamation encourages Nebraskans “to pray on their own or with others, according to their faith, for an end to abortion.” Nebraskans are also encouraged to take direct action to aid mothers, fathers, and families in need, especially those expecting a child who cannot provide for themselves.
Case count update as of 1/14/2021 at 4:00 PM: 4,003 Total Cases (TC), 2,121 Recoveries (R), 64 Deaths (D), and 242 total cases reported in the last 14 days. A reminder that Total Case (TC) numbers are represented first, and of those total cases the number of Recovered (R) persons is represented second, and total case related Deaths (D) is represented third.
Antelope: TC: 524, R: 259, D: 7
Boyd: TC: 175, R: 84, D:3
Brown: TC 269, R: 120, D: 4
Cherry: TC: 390, R: 218, D: 7
Holt: TC: 773, R: 466, D: 14
Keya Paha: TC: 42, R: 8, D: 0
Knox: TC: 1,022, R: 531, D: 7
Pierce: TC: 663, R: 348, D:20
Rock: TC: 145, R: 87, D:2