PENDER – A northeast Nebraska hospital is set to begin distribution of the COVID-19 vaccination to phase 1B recipients this week.
According to a release from Pender Community Hospital, PCH & Medical Clinics are an extension of Northeast Nebraska Public Health.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services distributes the COVID-19 vaccines to all Nebraska counties. Each health department determines the protocol to vaccinate eligible recipients.
The first eligible group outlined was Phase 1A: healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents. As Phase 1A wraps up, health departments and healthcare officials will now distribute the vaccine to Phase 1B: people 65 and older, age 18 and above with high-risk medical conditions and specified groups of essential workers. For information about essential workers eligible in Phase 1B, reference the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services website at dhhs.ne.gov, which explains all phases and the populations in each group.
Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department officials will work with hospital and clinics within the health district to facilitate this distribution. NNPHD will partner with Pender Community Hospital & Medical Clinics to assist with the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to the health district.
Individuals who meet the Phase 1B criteria, and live within the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department district of Thurston, Wayne, Dixon and Cedar counties should sign up with the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department if interested in receiving the vaccine. As this is a large population, the time needed to vaccinate Phase 1B is currently estimated by the state to take four months to complete.
State and health department staff thank everyone for their patience as they continue to work diligently to distribute vaccines as quickly and efficiently as possible.