Younger folks are now getting their COVID vaccinations

WAYNE — Younger Nebraskans are now getting vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

Since vaccinations began in Nebraska in January, health officials have been vaccinating residents who are at least 65 years old.

Nebraska moved to its next coronavirus vaccination phase on Monday with a focus on residents who are 50 to 64 years old and those with certain health conditions, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Friday.

The Northeast Nebraska Public Health Dept. was actually one step ahead of the state, as folks in that age group began getting vaccinations last week.

Even younger area residents are also able to sign up for the vaccinations. Residents of Cedar, Dixon, Thurston and Wayne counties who are 18 years or older, are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, said Julie Rother, Health Director of the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department.

Gov. Ricketts said under this new phase, 90 percent of doses are required to go to residents in the 50-to-64 age group or people who qualified under previous phases. The remaining 10 percent will go to people with health conditions that are chosen by local doctors and public health officials in each region.

Rother urged area residents to sign up for the vaccinations as soon as possible.

State officials echo those sentiments.

“There’s no need to wait at this point,” said Angie Ling, incident commander for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. “Your turn may be here before you know it.”

Ling said Nebraska has about 350,000 residents in the 50- to-64 demographic, and roughly 90,000 of them have already been vaccinated because they qualified in other ways. Health officials have previously focused on health care employees, first responders and meatpacking workers, among other key groups that were exposed to the virus.

State officials have since focused on delivering vaccinations by age, based on substantially higher death rates from the virus among the elderly.

Residents who are at least 65 account for 83% of Nebraska’s coronavirus deaths, according to the state’s online tracking portal. State officials have confirmed 205,814 cases and 2,133 deaths since the pandemic began.

Ricketts said state officials have vaccinated 71.75% of residents who are at least 65.

Nebraska had 129 residents who were hospitalized with the virus as of Friday, according to the state’s online tracking portal. The number has stayed fairly consistent throughout March after dropping sharply from the record highs set in mid-November, when state officials imposed tighter social-distancing restrictions to try to keep the virus from spreading.

Nebraska has given complete vaccinations to 16.5% of the state population that is at least 16 years old, according to the tracking portal.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks Nebraska eighth nationally in the number of doses delivered per 100,000 people.

Those that want to sign up can:

1. Type Vaccinate.ne.gov into your Internet Browser and complete the online form.

2. Contact one of the following local COVID-19 Vaccine Providers:

a. NE NE Public Health Dept - 800-375-2260

b. Laurel Family Medicine - 402-256-3042

c. Wakefield Family Medicine - 402-287-2267 d. Wayne Family Medicine - 402-375-2500

d. Wayne Family Medicine - 402-375-2500

e. Providence Medical Center Vaccine Line - 402-833-5100

f. Providence Community Pharmacy - 402-375-8862

g. Pender Medical Clinic - 402-385-7990

h. Northeast NE Community Action Partnership – 800- 445-2505

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