What we know as of March 2, 2021:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 27.
Area health departments are responsible for coordinating all local COVID-19 vaccinations. Nebraska Medicine does not have vaccines to give to our patients.
If you are a Nebraska Medicine patient who has questions about the vaccines that you’d like to discuss with your health care provider before registering, please send a message to a member of your care team through the Nebraska Medicine app or the One Chart | Patient desktop portal.
If you live in Douglas County:
If you are age 65 or older and live in Douglas County, you are now eligible to schedule your vaccine. Please check DouglasCountyHealth.com for the absolute latest information. Here’s how to schedule:
- Online: Douglas County Health Department - COVID-19 vaccine scheduler
- Or by phone: 402.444.3400
Douglas County has vaccination clinics at the following five locations:
- Immanuel Medical Center
- Christ Community Church
- Rasmussen Hall at Creighton University
- Nebraska Medicine Testing and Vaccination Clinic
- Kroc Center
If you are under age 65 and live in Douglas County, or if you live in any other Nebraska county:
Nebraska’s statewide COVID-19 vaccine registration website is now open and taking registrations. If you are able, we strongly encourage you to sign up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Register through the state website now:
- Online: https://vaccinate.ne.gov
- Or by phone: 833.998.2275
Please try to register through the website first before calling. If you have a loved one or a neighbor who could use assistance with registering online, please try to help them out.
This is not a scheduling system. You will be notified when it is time to schedule your vaccine.
If you previously registered with a local public health department, you do not need to re-register on the state’s website. We expect counties to import the information they’ve been gathering into the state’s system.
If you live in Iowa:
The Iowa Department of Public Health is coordinating vaccine distribution. If you're age 65 or older, you can schedule an appointment at Hy-Vee, Walgreens or CVS stores, depending on which county you live in.
Links and instructions are available at https://coronavirus.iowa.gov, or you can call 211. Resource specialists are available 24 hours a day to answer basic questions.
If you're a Veteran:
The Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa health care system is offering COVID-19 vaccines to Veterans who qualify based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and VA risk criteria. Your VA health care team will contact you to schedule your vaccination if you qualify. You can sign up for VA COVID-19 vaccine updates here.
Vaccine cost
Vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be given to the American people at no cost. Vaccine providers are allowed to charge an administration fee for giving the shot to someone. We expect public and private insurance providers to cover this cost.
Why we need COVID-19 vaccines
COVID-19 infections can be a minor inconvenience, or they can lead to severe disease and death. Social distancing, handwashing and wearing your mask certainly help. However, the best way to stop this virus is to generate COVID-19-specific immunity within our community.
We can achieve this immunity in one of two ways: through illness (natural herd immunity) or through vaccination. Since illness leads to severe disease or death for many, a safe and effective vaccine is a much better alternative.
Use this calculator to assess your own COVID-19 mortality risk