National Guard to administer tests in Kimball County Thursday

KIMBALL COUNTY, NE - The National Guard will be in Kimball County Thursday to help administer tests to first responders and health care workers in the county.

Panhandle Public Health District officials confirmed the news Wednesday.

The testing will be limited to 50 and is not intended for the general public, but for first responders, law enforcement and health care workers considered critical for community safety. 

This testing resource was shared with PPHD through Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

"We are excited about that," Panhandle Public Health District Director Kim Engel said. "We feel that if we expand our testing, and we know there was a significant exposure in that community, you know, the more testing we can do, the more we can prevent that spread."

Panhandle Public Health says anyone being tested should have been notified by a supervisor as a roster has already been developed. Photo Identification will be required to be tested.

Kimball County has 10 active cases as of Wednesday evening.

Panhandle Public Health stresses that a negative tests does not mean someone is protected from future exposure or contracting the disease.