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Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 11:13 PM

COVID Update

COVID Update

County’s Social Services Director, Shannon Ernst, made a presentation Wednesday to the Board of Health at the regular monthly meeting. Made up of the three county commissioners, Pete Olsen, Justin Heath, and Greg Koenig, along with Dr. Tedd McDonald, the county health officer, and Sheriff Richard Hickox, the Board of Health meets with community members and who make up the community COVID response team. Ernst provided updates on the county response to the pandemic.

As of March 19, 5,275 total doses of COVID vaccine have been administered with 86% of those doses given to county residents, 685 doses (13%) given to non-res- idents, and 63 doses (1%) given to non-res- ident county employees. Ernst noted for the Board that the county cannot restrict people from other counties from receiving the vaccine in Churchill County. Of the doses administered to county residents, 2,663 have received their first dose and 1,741 have received their second dose which means that 65% of the residents receiving doses are fully vaccinated. That is right at seven percent of the county’s total population.

Ernst also reported on the continued testing, saying that the number of tests administered is on a downward trend since February. A total of 10,832 tests have been completed and of those 9,933 were negative. There are currently 15 positive cases active in the community. The positivity rates are dropping, and it appears because of the vaccine, less people are getting tested. The county’s positivity rate now stands at 3.80 percent compared to the statewide rate of 4.80 percent. Ernst explained that they still want people to come in for testing, so they are working on expanding strategies to encourage that.

The issue of funding was also addressed by Ernst, who presented a spreadsheet showing a total of $2,624,129 in funding that is budgeted for COVID response through June 2023. CARES Act funding includes $1,472,941 from the Federal Treasury for virus personnel, equipment, administration and other needs. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other health-related federal units are providing $819,528 for lab personnel, $193,736 for vaccines, and a public information officer. In addition, $137,924 is expected from Community Services Block Grants (CSBG) that will allow the county to follow up with those impacted by the virus. Vaccine Points of Delivery (POD) are located around the county, and two PODs are being planned for Middlegate and Cold Springs.

 


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Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I knew Sam as a member of our church growing up. He always had a warm smile, a kind word, and a great sense of humor! He will be great missed!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:57 AMComment source: Obituary -- Samuel Bruce WickizerComment author: Mike HinzComment text: Great teacher, great coach, but even a better person!!! Rest in peace Mr. BeachComment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:53 AMComment source: Obituary -- Jack Victor Beach, Jr.Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I had Mrs Hedges for First Grade at Northside Elementary in 1969. I still, to this day, remember her as a wonderful teacher…one of my favorites!!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:29 AMComment source: Obituary - Nancy Marie Hedges C Comment author: Carl C. HagenComment text: What are MFNs and PBMs ?? ............................ From the editor: This is a very good question and we apologize for not catching that wasn't in there. We reached out to the writer/submitter and got this info back...hope it's helpful. PBM: Pharmacy Benefit Managers are pharmacies that are owned by insurance companies. (CVS is one.) They negotiate with drug makers to get reduced pricing for medications, but they historically have not passed along those savings to patients. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf MFN: Most Favored Nation pricing is a policy that means a country agrees to offer the same trade concessions (like tariffs or price reductions) to all member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). When applied to pharmaceuticals, it could disrupt global access, deter innovation, and obscure the deeper systemic issues in American health care. https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2025/05/22/the-global-risks-of-americas-most-favored-nation-drug-pricing-policy/Comment publication date: 6/23/25, 7:47 AMComment source: L E T T E R TO THE EDITOR
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