OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control's recommendations on booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccination, the Douglas County Health Department will now allow children ages 5 to 11 to receive boosters at its community clinics. Children are eligible as long as five months have passed since their last dose of the vaccination, but only the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for this younger age group.
In addition to the newest expanded eligibility of booster shots to children, the CDC recommends an additional booster for anyone 50 years and older, as well as anyone 12 and up who is moderately to severely immunocompromised. This means even if you've already had one booster and belong to either of these categories, that you are now eligible for a second booster.
The following community clinics are being hosted by the DCHD:
- Friday, May 20 until 3 p.m. at the Health Department (1111 S. 41st St.)
- Saturday, June 4 from 9 a.m. to noon at Benson High School Magnet (5120 Maple St.)
- Saturday, June 11 from 9 to noon at Norris Middle School (2235 S 46th St.)
- Tuesday, June 14 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Kiewit Middle School, (15650 Howard St.)
- Thursday, June 16 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Black Elk Elementary School, (6708 S 161st Ave.)
Typically, the DCHD issues two COVID-19 updates per week on Mondays and Thursdays but the announcement of expanded eligibility of booster shots provided an opportunity for an extra update. Since Thursday at midnight, the Douglas County Health Department received 134 new positive COVID-19 tests and did not receive any new COVID-19-related death certificates. The number of COVID-19-related deaths in Douglas County during the pandemic remains at 1,120.
According to the most recent local hospital update received by DCHD late Thursday:
- Medical and surgical beds are occupied at an 84% occupancy rate with 234 staffed beds available.
- Adult ICU beds are occupied at an 82% rate with 55 staffed beds available.
- Pediatric ICU beds are at 86% of capacity with 18 beds available.
- There are 80 individuals hospitalized due to COVID-19,
- two are pediatric cases.
- Thirteen are receiving ICU-level care.
- There are no additional COVID-19 persons of interest (generally waiting for test results).
- Four people who are confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19 are on ventilators.
The number of positive cases since March of 2020 now totals 152,105.
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