Thank you to all who have contacted my office about the vaccine hotline and subsequent overloading of the system. We appreciated hearing from you about your experiences and receiving these updates. 

We have had several conversations in recent days with Public Health Solutions (PHS) which serves Gage county, as well as four other counties in south central/southeast Nebraska. They are working to expand and improve the appointment system as quickly as possible. The overwhelming response to the hotline definitely taxed the system, as well as the limited staff at PHS and the hospital staff, who of course, have other crucial duties as well. 

The main problem is that demand for the vaccine far surpasses the supply. Our public health district receives just 700 doses of vaccine per week, and those must be shared among the five counties. Gage county, with the highest population, receives 200 of those. 

Our public health directors have been extremely diligent in making sure every dose is used and not wasted, and that the supply is stretched as far as possible. There are only a certain number that are manufactured at a time, and then allocated to all of the states. The State Department of Health and Human Services and the Public Health departments, developed plans that work for each district based on demographics, available facilities, health care providers and so on. PHS is also working to resolve the differences between the online registration sites, as each health district developed a plan to serve local needs before the state roll out.

Until the supply of the vaccine can be drastically increased however, distribution will continue to be an issue. Public Health Solutions is urging all of us to continue the measures to protect ourselves and others until everyone who wants the vaccine has one. So please, continue to wear a mask, sanitize your hands, keep your distance from others, and stay home with any symptoms of illness.  Thank you!