Governor Rickett’s coronavirus press confrerence
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — As the Pfizer vaccine is being distributed across the U.S., Governor Pete Rickett’s updates Nebraska on our coronavirus efforts and vaccine plan.
At the press conference, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gary Anthone confirmed one to two Nebraska hospitals have already received their shipment of the Pfizer vaccine. The State should be receiving all 15,600 doses “within the next 24 to 48 hours.”
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Dr. Anthone also confirmed that Nebraska will be receiving an allocation of the Pfizer vaccine for week two. However, it’s unclear how many doses we will receive.
Behavioral health providers will be included in Phase One A of the vaccine distribution plan.
Speaking of hospitals, Nebraska’s drop in hospitalizations is the second steepest in the nation. When asked about what factors might have attributed to this, Dr. Anthone said general compliance with the coronavirus restrictions.
Gov. Ricketts also added “we’ve got a great health care system in Nebraska. They’ve been doing a wonderful job of taking care of patients who have coronavirus as well as the other things that take care of people for.”
However, Gov. Ricketts still warns that although “we’ve changed from orange to yellow, we still need to continue to maintain our vigilance.”
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Early on in the pandemic, Gov. Ricketts signed an executive order extended the expiration date of licenses for those 72 and older whose license was set to expire in 2020.
As the executive order ends along with 2020, Gov. Ricketts says it will not be renewed.
However, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has taken extra safety steps to protect the vulnerable population when they need to renew their license.
Rhonda Lamb, DMV Director commented:
“Nebraska statute requires CIT person 72 years of age or older to renew their driver’s license in person. Persons 72 or older who hold a state identification card, however, are still eligible to go online… we have received inquiries from customers concerned about being exposed to the coronavirus when coming to the driver’s licensing offices, when requested. We have scheduled their appointments to receive services to reduce possible contact with other applicants. In some instances, we’ve been able to do appointments before or after normal business hours.
Customers 72 years or older should call the Driver Licensing Services Office at 402-471-3861 to schedule an appointment.
