The Superior Express -

Monday South Heartland District Health Department (SHDHD) officials reported three additional COVID-19-related deaths of previously reported cases, bringing the health district total to fifty-five (55). Michele Bever, the department’s director, said the deaths were Clay County residents, including a woman in her 90s, a woman in her 60s, and a woman in her 50s.

Bever also reported 24 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the previous four days (Feb. 5 to 8), averaging six new cases per day and bringing the cumulative number of cases in the four-county health district to 4,362. The new confirmed cases for the four-day period include: nine in Adams, six in Clay, eight in Nuckolls and one in Webster. By county, the new cumulative totals are: 2,838 cases in Adams, 712 cases in Clay, 477 cases in Nuckolls, and 335 cases in Webster.

Overall weekly positivity (number of positive tests divided by the number of tests conducted) for the health district decreased to 6.3 percent compared to 10.2 percent the week before. “However, I should point out that if we subtract out the results from required testing in long term care facilities, and look only at the test results from the general population, the positivity is higher, at 15.5 percent for the health district,” Bever said.

“The decreasing positivity is an important trend in the right direction. However, we need to continue to use all of the tools we have to stop the spread of this coronavirus until the risk is low,” Bever said. “I am concerned about the new variants of the virus that were detected first in other countries and now in the U.S. These variants could increase the number of infections we see if, or when, they spread to south central Nebraska.”

More than 48,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered last week in Nebraska. As of Sunday, more than 234,000 doses of the vaccine have been given to those in Phase 1 priority groups, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

As of Sunday, 68,355 Nebraskans have completed vaccination, which represents 4.61 percent of Nebraskans aged 16 or older.

Nebraska has been notified that initial shipments to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Federal Retail Pharmacy Program will arrive at the end of this week. Participating retail pharmacies will be able to vaccinate those 65 and older.

Later this week, the state expects to receive 5,700 doses for retail pharmacy vaccinations. DHHS expects to release allocation details soon. Nebraskans are cautioned that retail pharmacy doses will be very limited for some time.

Retail pharmacy doses will be in addition to the state’s weekly allocation of first and second doses being administered by Nebraska’s 19 local health departments. This week, Nebraska is scheduled to receive 28,700 first doses, including 11,700 Pfizer doses and 17,000 Moderna doses, and a total of 23,500 second dose shipments.

In addition, the state is receiving doses released from the Federal Pharmacy Program used by the CDC to vaccinate residents and staff at long-term care facilities. The 11,700 doses being released will provide 5,850 first and second doses, and be allocated to local health departments to support Phase 1B vaccinations.

All Nebraska counties are now vaccinating Phase 1B priority groups.

Phase 1B priority groups include those 65 and older, those 18 and older who are at high-risk for severe COVID-19, and those working in critical industries.