The Lincoln – Lancaster County Health Department reports 49 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday bringing the total number of cases to 30,362. The number of deaths in the county remains at 230 and recoveries are at 27,234. The weekly positivity rate from April 11th through the 15th is 7%. The rate from April 3rd through the 10th was 7.1%.
There are 33 people hospitalized, 23 from Lancaster County (one on a ventilator) and 10 from other communities (one on a ventilator).
Vaccinations administered:
- Initiated vaccinations (first doses): 143,229
- Completed vaccinations (second doses and J&J vaccine): 98,177
Residents age 16 and older are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine. There are still appointments available for Friday’s clinic at PBA. All residents age 16 and older can register for vaccinations at COVID19.lincoln.ne.gov.
The health department is working with higher education institutions and local high schools to register students 16 and older for vaccinations. LLCHD is scheduling appointments for students who have registered and will start vaccinating some students at Friday’s clinic. Public clinics and pharmacies remain options, and additional clinics are expected to be offered at local schools beginning next week.
Large-scale clinics yet this week:
- Friday, April 16, Pinnacle Bank Arena – first doses
A first-dose drive-through clinic is scheduled for Saturday, April 17 at 6100 “O” Street, in the drive-through garages at the north parking lot of the former Sears store at Gateway Mall. LLCHD is notifying residents to schedule appointments for these clinics.
Registration: There are appointments available for this week’s first dose clinics. Lancaster County residents can complete the quick and simple registration process now at COVID19.lincoln.ne.gov.
Those who do not have online access or who need assistance may call LLCHD’s COVID-19 hotline at 402-441-8006 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays to register. Those who are registered will be contacted to schedule an appointment as vaccine becomes available. Appointments for vaccinations are dependent on vaccine supply and are not related to the order in which people register.
Testing: The process begins with a free online risk assessment available at BryanHealth.com, CHIHealth.com or TestNebraska.com.
Drive-through testing is available from:
- CHI Health St. Elizabeth: Autumn Ridge Family Medicine, 5000 North 26th St. and Southwest Family Health, 1240 Aries Drive. Call either site to schedule an appointment: Autumn Ridge, 402-435-5300 and South West Family, 402-420-1300.
- Test Nebraska: Gateway Mall, 6100 “O” St., north parking lot of the former Sears store. Tests are conducted from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 402-207-9377
Testing is also available without an appointment at the three Bryan Urgent Care locations, 7501 S. 27th St., 5901 N. 27th St. and 4333 S. 86th St. To check wait times, call 402-481-6343.