Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
The COVID-19 testing station in Sidney is staying busy, according to Sidney Regional Medical Center CEO Jason Petik.
“We're seeing roughly 75 people per week,” Petik said.
The number equates to about 1,300 since the testing unit opened in July.
Petik said the Sidney location has had to address a couple of transportation issues. "Otherwise, the testing site is working well", he said.
“Overall, I think the program is working really well,” he said Thursday, Dec. 3.
Petik said the length of quarantine has been shortened from 14 days to 10. He added some of the challenge is COVID doesn't always present itself in a consistent manner; it doesn't react with everyone the same, nor does it always present the same symptoms. Additionally, he said the hospital is busy separating the flu from colds and COVID-19.
People come to the clinic to be tested for many reasons. Petik said motivation often includes exposure to a positive case and an employer requiring testing.
On July 28, Sidney Regional Medical Center announced it was leveraging TestNebraska's infrastructure as the state expanded testing. Residents could take an online assessment through the TestNebraska portal, and if eligible receive a free test from the SRMC Walk-In Clinic.
SRMC CEO Jason Petik said in the July announcement that access, timeliness and accuracy were critical to preventing the spread of the COVID virus.
On Oct. 30, SRMC increased testing from two days to three days per week.
Petik said the increase in days was a result of the “upsurge in the utilization of this program.”
The TestNebraska procedure is free, Petik said; however, if a person prefers a quick test, there is a $250 charge. Insurance companies are paying the deductible.
Several Nebraska Teachers of the Year signed a letter encouraging Gov. Pete Ricketts to authorize a mask mandate in the state. In their letter, they say “part of providing the best education is to ensure that our children are safe.”
The letter says student safety needs Ricketts' leadership on the community level.
In a Dec. 2 press conference, Ricketts announced that statewide hospitalizations have gone down from 987 on Nov. 20 to 869. He also said the first vaccines are expected to arrive in the state the week of Dec. 13-19.
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