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Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 4:11 PM
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County’s COVID Testing Program Now Incentivized

Gift cards offered to those eligible and willing to be tested to keep positivity rate low
County’s COVID Testing Program Now Incentivized

Churchill County’s COVID testing program is now incentivized. Offering $20 Walmart gift cards on a weekly basis to Churchill County residents who have not been vaccinated, have not tested positive in the last 90 days, and who volunteer to be tested.

Upcoming testing dates are:

  • Today, June 2 from 1-4 p.m.
  • Monday, June 7 by appointment only (call 775-423-6695, option 2)
  • Tuesday, June 8 from 3-4 p.m.
  • Wednesday, June 9 from 3-4 p.m.

Testing conducted at the county’s public health site off Miner’s Road. Lines have been short of late.

Churchill County leaders encourage those who are asymptomatic and haven’t been vaccinated to consider getting tested for COVID and are enticing residents with Walmart gift cards during testing events this month.

The incentivization offer stems from the need to keep the county’s COVID positivity rate low. The positivity rate is one of three metrics the State of Nevada uses to determine whether counties stay open during the pandemic. Keeping the county’s positivity rate under 7% helps us stay open. The positivity rate is calculated by the total number of people tested in a county divided by the number of positive tests.

As of May 12, Churchill County’s test positivity rate was 5.5%, as of May 31 it was 4.2% so County staff says the trend is heading in the right direction. 

Since vaccinated people and those who have tested positive in the last 90 days cannot be tested, the more non-vaccinated, asymptomatic people who are willing to be tested, the better our positivity rate.

Make a difference in our community and volunteer to be tested if you haven’t been vaccinated and are not showing any COVID symptoms.

County social services department staff are ineligible to receive the gift cards.


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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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