The Lincoln Lancaster County Heath Department reports a death from COVID-19 Thursday, a man in his 70’s who was hospitalized. This brings the number of deaths to 236.
There are 13 new cases reported today. There are 20 people hospitalized.
Variant cases: The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) recently confirmed its first case of a COVID-19 variant strain called P.1, a variant first identified in Brazil. The variant was detected through special testing at the Nebraska Public Health Lab. An additional 43 variant cases were also identified bringing the total in Lancaster County to 157. LLCHD continues to urge people to get vaccinated if they haven’t already. Vaccination provides protection against the virus and prevents illness. The more people who are vaccinated, the less opportunity the virus and its variants will have to spread in our community.
Total number of COVID-19 variant cases in Lancaster County: 157
B.1.427/B.1.429 – first identified in California, 14 cases
B.1.1.7 – first identified in the U.K., 132 cases
B.1.1.318 – first identified in the U.K., 1 case
B.1.351 – first identified in South Africa, 3 cases
B.1.617 – first identified in India, 6 cases
P.1 – first identified in Brazil, 1 case
Vaccinations administered:
Initiated vaccinations (first doses): 165,679
Completed vaccinations (second doses and J&J vaccine): 144,276
Vaccinations: Residents age 12 and older are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine, and appointments are available for this week. Residents can sign up and schedule a vaccination appointment at COVID19.lincoln.ne.gov. Those already in the registration system will be contacted to schedule an appointment. Residents can also find a local pharmacy offering vaccinations at vaccines.gov.
Those who do not have online access or who need assistance with registration or scheduling may call LLCHD’s COVID-19 hotline at 402-441-8006 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Upcoming vaccination clinics (subject to change):
Friday, May 21, Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, 3131 “O” St. – first and second doses
Saturday, May 22, Gateway Mall – second dose drive-through clinic north of the garages of the former Sears store
Monday, May 24, Waverly Community Foundation, 11120 N. 141st St. – first and second doses
Tuesday, May 25, Air Park Recreation Center, 3720 N.W. 46th St. – first and second doses
Wednesday, May 26, Belmont Recreation Center, 1234 Judson St. – first and second doses
Thursday, May 27, Lancaster Event Center, 4100 N. 84th St. – first and second doses
Friday, May 28, Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department – first and second doses
Saturday, May 29, Gateway Mall – first dose drive-through clinic north of the garages of the former Sears store
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.