By PPHD
Dr. June Steely, Medical Director for Nomi Health, joined the November 10, 2021 briefing to discuss the importance of COVID testing. Nomi Health is the organization that coordinated TestNebraska until July 2021 and now offers direct to consumer testing.
Steely explained as the number of cases have been increasing again, this can be cause for concern for several reasons with individuals suffering from the virus and the opportunity for it to mutate.
Testing helps break the train of transmission which is why it is so important. There are colds going around but if you have a stuffy nose or cold symptoms, it’s great to know right away if you have it and to stop the spread.
There’s a possibility you could be asymptomatic (not experiencing any symptoms) and with the holidays coming up the potential for spread increases too. People will be traveling and seeing family members and others that could be especially vulnerable to the virus.
“I’m going to visit my folks for Thanksgiving and my whole family will be getting tested a day or two before we leave to protect them,” said Dr. Steely.
Testing access around the Panhandle can be found at www.pphd.org. Nomi Health is one of the testing options in Scottsbluff and information can also be found on the PPHD website.
Dr. June Steely is a board-certified internal medicine physician with over 21 years of experience. As Medical Director for Nomi Health, Dr. Steely provides clinical guidance and medical expertise for Nomi's testing and vaccination programs.
Who is eligible for a COVID booster shot?
If you received a Pfizer or Moderna series:
- 65 years and older
- Age 18+ who live in long-term care residents
- Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
- Age 18+ who work or live in high-risk settings
If you received a J& J vaccine:
- Age 18+
Individuals can get their booster shots at least 6 months after Pfizer or Moderna or at least 2 months after J & J. You may have a preference on which booster shot to get, but you can get any booster shot.
Vaccinations have protection against all known variants, including Delta. For anyone age 5 and older, please get vaccinated. COVID vaccine is widely available across the Panhandle and there is no charge for the vaccine.
- Box Butte/Grant: https://tinyurl.com/25mwaapu | safeway.com
- Walk-ins welcome
- Dave's Pharmacy Hemingford & Alliance, Monday-Friday, 8 AM - 5:30 PM (Pfizer 2 PM- 5:30 PM)
- Alliance Community Pharmacy, Monday-Friday, 7:30 AM - 6 PM
- Cheyenne/Deuel: https://tinyurl.com/5b5uac8p | walmart.com | safeway.com
- Walk-ins welcome
- During COVID clinic hours visit https://tinyurl.com/5b5uac8p for days and hours
- Dawes/Sioux: https://tinyurl.com/x5d5nnbn | walmart.com | safeway.com
- Walk-ins welcome
- Western Community Health Resources, Monday-Friday, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
- Garden: To schedule an appointment visit vaccinate.ne.gov - provider will call you
- Walk-ins welcome
- Regional West Garden County Clinic Front Desk, Monday-Friday, 8 AM - 5 PM
- Kimball: https://tinyurl.com/d2u8txrs
- Walk-ins welcome
- Kimball Health Services, Monday-Friday, 8 AM - 4:30 PM
- Morrill: https://tinyurl.com/sb8mvumm
- Walk-ins welcome
- Morrill County Hospital Clinic, Wednesdays, 8 AM - 4 PM
- Sheridan: https://tinyurl.com/cvrmkv38
- Walk-ins welcome
- Gordon Rural Health Clinic, Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM- 9:30 AM
- Scotts Bluff/Banner: https://tinyurl.com/hkw7wk2p | walmart.com | safeway.com | walgreens.com
- Walk-ins welcome
- Gering CAPWN Health Center, Monday-Friday, 9 AM-12 PM & 1 PM-4 PM
- Scottsbluff County Immunization Clinic, Monday-Friday, 9:30 AM-5:30 PM
If you are homebound or have a condition that makes it hard for you to access a COVID vaccine, Call Vianey Zitterkopf, RN at 308-430-8390 or Janet Felix, LPN at 308-672-4653.
People who are fully COVID vaccinated will not be required to quarantine due to close contact. If you have lost your COVID vaccine card, go to https://tinyurl.com/2zh7uhhu.
Unified Command confirms 250 more cases of COVID in the Panhandle.
March 2, 2020-November 8, 2021
- Positive: 13,662
- Last week’s cases: (cases/100,000): 289.8
- Last 7 day cases: 250
- Last week’s positivity rate: 13.5%
- Deaths: 224
- Deaths Pending Verification: 12
- Active Hospitalizations: 29
- Total Cumulative Hospitalizations: 724
Current COVID testing access can be found at http://pphd.org/COVID-19.html.
The Panhandle COVID dashboard is available at www.pphd.org. The state COVID dashboard is available at https://tinyurl.com/ufj9fcuf. For the most up to date information from the CDC, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
