Wednesday March 23 COVID-19 update: Nebraska DHHS reports 12 BA.2 subvariant cases

(WOWT) - Below are today’s updates from data reports on new cases and other COVID-19 stats reported by health officials across Nebraska and western Iowa.

Keep scrolling to find a vaccination clinic near you.

Nebraska data snapshot

According to Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services data updated Wednesday, the state updated the following numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and vaccinations as of Tuesday:

DEATHS: DHHS reported four COVID-19 deaths in the past week, bringing the state’s COVID-19 death toll to 3,309 people.

CASES: Testing numbers across the state in the past week were about 5,000 more than the week prior, but yielded very few positives. Among 20,215 tests, only 118 positive tests were recorded — the smallest number of cases reported by the state since DHHS launched its respiratory dashboard in July 2021. The totals pulled Nebraska’s positivity rate down to 2.6% as of Saturday, down from an adjusted 3.1% reported a week ago. About a month ago, it was 5.3%. About two months ago, it was 25.9%.

Of the new cases reported in the past two weeks, 33 were verified as variants — 12 were omicron BA.2 subvariant — bringing the total number of the state’s verified variant cases to 14,724. Additionally, 101 were omicron variants, and three were delta variant cases.

HOSPITALIZATIONS: The state’s health department also reported 15 fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations as of Tuesday compared to a week ago, bringing this week’s total to 119 COVID-19 patients.

According to the Nebraska Hospital Capacity & Respiratory Illness dashboard, as of Tuesday, hospitals across the state were caring for 97 adult COVID-19 patients, down from 114 reported a week ago. There were 17 adult COVID-19 patients still in ICUs. The state dashboard also reported four pediatric COVID-19 patients, up from three reported last week.

HOSPITAL CAPACITY: As of Tuesday, 69% of 3,218 adult beds were occupied, compared with 72% of 3,228 adult beds full a week ago. Pediatric wards had 76% of 368 beds full, compared with 76% of 367 pediatric beds a week ago.

As of Tuesday, 70% of 481 adult ICU beds were filled, compared with 63% of 487 beds last week; and 73% of 153 pediatric ICU beds were full, the same as last week.

VACCINATIONS: The state’s vaccination rate for the 1.77 million residents ages 5 and older increased less than half of a percent in the past two weeks to 67.7%. The state administered 2,750 doses in the past week.

VACCINATION BREAKTHROUGHS: DHHS updates its breakthrough data totals about every 4-6 weeks. The last update was posted March 16.

As of March 21, 2022, national forecasts predict 900–2,900 new #COVID19 deaths will likely be reported during the week ending April 16. That would bring the projected total number of U.S. deaths to 980,000–986,000. More: https://t.co/rcqjOX3Ypl. pic.twitter.com/TAMG5kAKOW
— CDC (@CDCgov) March 23, 2022

COVID-19 vaccines continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. A recent study showed...
Posted by CDC on Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Vaccination clinics

Nebraska DHHS

Federal Retail Pharmacy Program: Pharmacies in and near the Omaha-metro area currently participating in the program include:

Medicine Man Pharmacy, 15615 Pacific St. Suite 8, Omaha NE 668118
ViaRx, 825 N. 90th St., Omaha NE 68114
Walmart, 3010 E. 23rd St., Fremont NE 68025

Douglas County

Below is a list of the Douglas County COVID-19 vaccination clinics scheduled for this week, including child vaccination clinics at area schools. All clinics are open to the public for any approved shot in the vaccination series as indicated below. Those planning to get a booster shot should bring their vaccination card.

WEDNESDAY

10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Clair Memorial United Methodist Church, located at 5544 Ames Ave. – Pfizer for ages 5+ & Moderna
5-7 p.m. at Burke High School, located at 5610 S. 42nd St. – Pfizer for ages 5+

THURSDAY

5-7 p.m. at Gateway Elementary School, located at 5610 S. 42nd St. – Pfizer for ages 5+

FRIDAY

9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Douglas County Health Department, located at 1111 S. 41st St. – All vaccines available

SATURDAY

8 a.m.-noon at the Black Family Health & Wellness Association Health Fair, held at Omaha North High Magnet School, 4410 N. 36th St. – All vaccines available
10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Nelson Mandela Elementary School, located at 6316 N. 30th St. – Pfizer for ages 5+ & Moderna

TUESDAY MARCH 29

Noon-4 p.m. at the Douglas County Health Department, located at 1111 S. 41st St. – All vaccines available
5-7 p.m. at the Standing Bear Elementary School, located at 15860 Taylor St. – Pfizer for ages 5+

WEDNESDAY MARCH 30

10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Clair Memorial United Methodist Church, located at 5544 Ames Ave. – Pfizer for ages 5+ & Moderna
5-7 p.m. at the Heart Ministry Center, located at 2222 Binney St. – Pfizer for ages 5+& Moderna

FRIDAY APRIL 1

9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Douglas County Health Department, located at 1111 S. 41st St. – All vaccines available

SATURDAY APRIL 2

3-5 p.m. at the East African Development Association of Nebraska, located at 4735 NW Radial Highway – All vaccines available

Douglas County Nebraska Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Omaha Scanner Omaha Fire Department NOISE KETV NewsWatch 7 Omaha World-Herald
Posted by Douglas County Health Department on Saturday, March 19, 2022

About Text Nebraska

The Douglas County Health Department is encouraging residents who test positive for COVID-19 to cooperate with Text Nebraska in order to help prevent further spread of the virus.

If you are age 19 or older, have recently tested positive for COVID-19, and provided a cell number when registering for your test, you will likely receive a text message from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services phone number 1-844-774-7604 that prompts you to take a survey. Adding that number to your phone’s directory will assure that your phone or provider doesn’t mark it as a spam call.

“It is not spam and is safe to respond,” DCHD said in a Thursday news release, noting that the survey is completely digital and doesn’t require you to speak with anyone.

“Text Nebraska is the next step in contact tracing, and this is where you can help,” Health Director Dr. Lindsay Huse said in the release. “Your response is needed as the number of cases makes it impossible for our staff to keep up with the demand.”

Did you take an at-home test?

Self-report your at-home test result

Fill out the Douglas County Health Department form to assist with virus activity data and contact tracing.

The Douglas County health department is asking residents to report any home-test result using a...

In-home appointments

DCHD is helping those homebound to get vaccinated, scheduling in-home appointments for all three adult vaccination varieties, for any shot in the series.

To arrange this, call the DCHD information helpline at 402-444-3400.

OneWorld child vaccination clinics

OneWorld offers COVID-19 vaccinations at the following clinics:

In south Omaha at the Livestock Building, located at 4920 S. 30th St.
In Bellevue, at 2207 Georgia Ave.
In northwest Omaha, at 4229 N. 90th St.
In Plattsmouth, at 122 S. Sixth St.

OneWorld also offers children’s COVID-19 vaccinations at school health centers:

Bryan High School, located at 4700 Giles Road
Indian Hill Elementary, located at 3121 U St.
Liberty Elementary, located at 2021 St. Mary’s Ave.
Spring Lake Elementary, located at 4215 S. 20th St.

Walk-ins are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis; or you can call 402-734-4110 to make an appointment.

Children’s Hospital

Children’s Hospital is planning to offer dedicated COVID-19 vaccination clinics for about a month, starting by Thursday, Nov. 11 — or sooner, if they are supplied the doses before that.

5-7 p.m. Thursdays at West Village Pointe and Spring Valley offices
8 a.m.-noon Saturdays at West Village Pointe and Spring Valley offices

After Saturday, Dec. 11, pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations will be available by appointment at any Children’s Hospital location.

Tuesday and Thursday appointments available at the Mission Village location, 16909 Q St. Call 402-955-7575 or 402-955-SHOT (7468) for available times.
Thursday and Friday appointments available at the Dundee location, 4825 Dodge St. Call 402-955-7676 or 402-955-SHOT (7468) for available times.

Nebraska Medicine

Nebraska Medicine is offering COVID-19 vaccinations at clinics in several retail pharmacies and health centers around the Omaha-metro.

NebMed will provide Pfizer vaccinations by appointment at:

Eagle Run Health Center, located at 132nd Street and West Maple Road
Fontenelle Health Center, located at 50th Street and Ames Avenue
Girls Inc. Health Center, located at 45th Street and West Maple Road
Old Market Health Center, located at 13th and Leavenworth streets
Village Pointe Health Center, located at 175th and Burke streets

For those looking for walk-in appointments, single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccinations will be available at these pharmacies:

Outpatient Pharmacy at Bellevue Health Center, located at 25th Street and Highway 370, will offer J&J vaccinations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
Outpatient Pharmacy at Durham Outpatient Center, located at 45th and Emile streets, will offer J&J vaccinations from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays; and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the weekends.

Around Omaha

SOUTH OMAHA: Testing and vaccinations are available at OneWorld, located at 4920 S. 30th St. Call 402-734-4110 to make an appointment for vaccinating anyone age 12 and older.

CHARLES DREW HEALTH CENTER: Call 402-451-3553 to schedule an appointment.

CHURCH CLINIC: Metropolitan Community Chuch of Omaha will host a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. No ID is required, but a parent or guardian must be present at the clinic with teens ages 12-18.

MCC FORT OMAHA: Vaccinations also will be distributed Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Metropolitan Community College’s Fort Omaha campus, located at 5300 N. 30th St. Appointments will be made through the county’s vaccination registry.

TOTAL WELLNESS: DCHD has been working with Total Wellness, located at 9320 H Court, to establish a vaccination clinic from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

VETERANS: Any eligible veterans can obtain COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters at the Omaha VA Medical Center’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics’ walk-in hours from 8 a.m.-2:45 p.m. weekdays. Appointments can also be scheduled online.

Sarpy/Cass health district

The Sarpy/Cass Health Department has scheduled vaccination clinics for all COVID-19 vaccine doses, including pediatric doses, at its offices, located at 701 Olson Drive in Papillion:

Tuesdays: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Wednesdays: 1-6 p.m.

Vaccines available at this clinic: ● First and second doses (Pfizer age 5+, Moderna age18+, Johnson & Johnson age...
Posted by Sarpy/Cass Health Department on Monday, March 21, 2022

The health department offers the first and second doses of Pfizer and Modern vaccines, Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) single doses, and booster doses of all three vaccines.

To make an appointment, call 833-998-2275 or 531-249-1873.

Pottawattamie County

The Pottawattamie County Public Health Department urges residents to take advantage of free drive-through COVID-19 testing at:

Hy-Vee Pharmacy on West Broadway
Nomi Health at 1751 Madison Ave.
Any Walgreens pharmacy location

Free take-home test kits are available at:

All Care Health Center, located at 902 S. Sixth St., in Council Bluffs
Pottawattamie County Public Health Department office, located at 600 S. Fourth St., Suite 100, in Council Bluffs

Walk-ins can receive COVID-19 vaccinations at the health department office at:

4-6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays
8 a.m.-noon Saturdays

Vaccinations are also available from 8 a.m. to noon at the Veterans Affairs Building, located at 623 Sixth Ave. in Council Bluffs.

Three Rivers health district

Three Rivers Public Health Department is giving out boosters to those in certain risk categories who have had Pfizer vaccinations. It is also working with area businesses and schools to provide plan more COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

Three regular pediatric vaccination clinics have been set up for children ages 5-11:

Wahoo: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of the month at 1320 E. 31st St.
Fremont: Noon-3:30 p.m. Fridays at 2400 N. Lincoln Ave.

Please see our updated COVID-19 vaccine walk-in clinic schedule. Getting up-to-date on your vaccine is the best way to protect yourself from severe COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/uu5DnpeHfc
— Three Rivers Public Health (@threerivers_ph) March 22, 2022

The health department has the necessary forms posted on their website, for minors and adults, for those who would like to fill them out ahead of their visit.

3RPHD’s regular clinics will continue:

In Dodge County, the Three Rivers clinic at 2400 N. Lincoln Ave. in Fremont, is open for walk-ins from noon to 3:30 p.m. Friday.
In Saunders County, the Three Rivers clinic in Lake Wanahoo, located at 1320 E. 31st St., is open to walk-ins from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of the month.

Those who are home-bound or require special accommodations but need a COVID-19 test or vaccine can contact the health district at 402-704-2245 to make arrangements.

Off-line help

METHODIST HEALTH INFORMATION: The vaccine is available at most Methodist Physicians Clinic locations. Appointments for the vaccine are recommended and can be made by calling 402-354-CARE.

NEBRASKA VACCINE HOTLINE: Nebraskans can call 531-249-1873 or toll-free at 833-998-2275 for more information on the state’s COVID-19 vaccination process and to get assistance with signing up for a vaccination appointment.

DOUGLAS COUNTY HELPLINE: Local COVID-19 information, in Spanish and English, is available from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, except for holidays. Call 402-444-3400 for assistance.

IOWA VACCINE HOTLINE: Iowans who need help to find a vaccine appointment can call 211 for assistance or 1-800-244-7431. Older or home-bound Iowans can contact Connections Area Agency on Aging at 712-328-2540 or 1-800-432-9209. For multilingual assistance, call 1-877-558-2609.

NATIONAL HOTLINE: To check vaccine availability in your community, call the national COVID-19 hotline at 1-800-232-0233.