North Central District Health Department (NCDHD) would like to apprise the district of the Nebraska COVID-19 vaccine registry, located at www.ncdhd.ne.gov. To provide guidance and clarity, below are directions on who should register on the Nebraska COVID-19 Registry:
For those 65+ who already registered with NCDHD, do not sign up with the State. NCDHD will continue to schedule your vaccine. If you are 65+ and did not sign up with NCDHD, please sign up on the new Nebraska registry, located at www.ncdhd.ne.gov.
If you registered on the NCDHD vaccine list but are not over the age of 65, you will need to register on the new Nebraska registry, located at www.ncdhd.ne.gov.
If you are interested in the COVID-19 vaccine, all ages and all professions are welcome to sign up on the new Nebraska registration. The governor’s tiered phasing guidance will still be utilized to determine who is vaccinated first.
If you need assistance registering, it is recommended you contact a family member or friend for help. Your local senior center and library can also assist. A third option for help registering is to contact the state hotline at 531-249-1873 and/or 833-998-2275. The state hotline offers assistance in multiple languages and the registry will also soon be available in Spanish.
If you register on the new Nebraska registration, e-mail and physical address are required. If you do not have an e-mail address, please use a family member’s e-mail. If you do not have a family member to assist, you may use register@ncdhd.ne.gov. Please do not call NCDHD to confirm if your registration went through.
The speed of vaccine disbursement depends on vaccine availability. Below is a tentative timeline for district COVID-19 vaccinations:
Mid-January to Mid-May: Phase 1B- Vaccine will be allocated to those 75 years and older, 65 years and older, those with pre-existing conditions, first responders, those in the education sector, and those working in grocery stores, food processing facilities, utilities, transportation, and postal service.
Mid-April to May: Phase 1C- Vaccines will be allocated to those in congregate settings.
May to October: Phase 2 – Vaccine will be made available to the public.
There are a couple NCDHD survey sign-ups located on at www.ncdhd.ne.gov that NCDHD will continue to utilize. If an individual was in Phase1A and did not receive the vaccine but is now interested, please complete the Phase1A survey. If an individual is unable to make the second dose appointment, which is located on the back of the vaccine card, please complete the unable to make second dose survey and we will work to find you a different appointment.
Being that viruses are constantly evolving and mutating, NCDHD encourages the district to avoid the three C’s to help slow the spread of the virus: crowded places, close contacts, and confined spaces.
Governor Pete Ricketts announced that the State is moving from the “blue” to “green” phase of its coronavirus pandemic response plan. As a result, the State of Nebraska is issuing new Directed Health Measures (DHMs) effective 12:01 AM on Saturday, January 30, 2021. The new DHMs change some of the restrictions put in place to help manage the coronavirus pandemic.
Nebraska’s pandemic response plan links DHM restrictions to the percentage of staffed hospital beds in Nebraska filled by coronavirus patients. The percentage is below 10% (7-day rolling average), which is the threshold for the State moving to the “green” phase of its pandemic plan.
Moving from the “blue” to “green” phase involves the following DHM change:
- The maximum capacity for indoor gatherings, including youth extracurricular activities, goes from 75% to 100%.
o Organizers of gatherings of 500 or more people (1,000 or more in Douglas County), must still submit a reopening plan to their local health department—and receive approval—before holding their events. Aside from this requirement, there are no restrictions on gatherings/venues in the “green” phase of the State’s plan. However, guidance is still in place and recommended.
The new DHMs have updated quarantine requirements.
- Nebraskans who’ve been fully vaccinated (received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine) do not have to quarantine after a close contact. Instead, they will be in the “self-monitor” category, which involves wearing a mask for 14 days from the date of exposure and monitoring for symptoms.
- Nebraskans who have recovered from the coronavirus in the past three months do not need to quarantine after a close contact, though they’re encouraged to monitor for symptoms.
The new DHMs also amend the definition of “close contact” to clarify that exposures start 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms or positive test.
The revised DHMs are posted on the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) website. To view them, go to dhhs.ne.gov/coronavirus.gov, and click on the link for “Directed Health Measures.”
Executive Order 21-02 remains in force. It gives public bodies the option to meet virtually by videoconference or teleconference through April 30, 2021.