Ricketts satisfied with vaccine rollout, urges patience

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said Friday he’s reasonably satisfied with the state’s distribution of coronavirus vaccines despite a slowdown last month, but urged residents to remain patient and expect some logistical delays.

Ricketts said the state has received an additional 40,000 doses in the last couple of days, but it will take a few more days to get them distributed. The state has distributed 133,896 doses so far from drug manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna.

“I think this program is really going along as well as can be expected considering we have not done this kind of mass vaccination in this country ever,” Ricketts said a coronavirus news conference.

Nebraska saw two brief slowdowns in distribution around Christmas and after New Year’s Day. But the numbers increased sharply on Tuesday, when health officials administered 13,644 — up from 2,967 the previous day.

Ricketts said he expects to see a sharp increase in vaccinations over the next several weeks. On Thursday, state officials said they were preparing to launch a website that will allow people to register for a vaccination even if they don’t immediately qualify. The first eligible people in Nebraska are front-line health care workers and people who live in or work at long-term care facilities.

Nebraska also saw a reported surge in deaths on Thursday, but a local public health official said Friday that those numbers weren’t accurate.

The state initially reported 108 deaths in the last day, with 92 of those coming from Douglas County. But Phil Rooney of the Douglas County Public Health Department said his county’s reported numbers were inaccurate, and health officials plan to correct them once they confirm the actual data.

“We’re trying to track it down,” he said.

Nebraska reported 491 people hospitalized with the coronavirus as of Thursday. The number is down sharply from the record highs logged in mid-November, but still elevated compared with spring and summer of 2020. Nebraska still has 30% of its hospital beds, 30% of its intensive care unit beds and 74% of its ventilators available for use.

The state has confirmed 173,591 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, although the actual number is likely higher because not all people get tested. Nebraska also reported 1,811 deaths, but that figure will likely get changed once Douglas County adjusts its number.