Another COVID-19 testing session coming to Imperial

    Imperial will again host free TestNebraska COVID-19 testing this Sunday morning.
    Kathie Skeen, Emergency Planning Coordinator with the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD), said the Imperial EMS building at 1215 Grant St. will host the drive-through testing.
    Hours Sunday are from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.
    Skeen said testing is being conducted seven days a week now. She’s hoping a little more notice for this session will give residents more time to sign up.
    The first testing was held June 11 in Imperial when 30 tests were conducted.
    Sunday’s free testing is open to anyone from the nine-county SWNPHD and neighboring Nebraska county residents.
    SWNPHD serves Chase, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Hayes, Hitchcock, Keith, Perkins and Red Willow counties.
    Skeen said Sunday’s testing is for all, not only for those with COVID-19 symptoms.  
    Anyone interested in participating should complete the online survey at testnebraska.com/en or in Spanish at test nebraska.com/es.
    When the survey is done, there is an option to schedule an appointment and get a QR code that can be saved on a phone or printed. Everyone will need to show their code at the test site, along with an ID and proof of current address.
    Skeen noted, however, if someone is unable to schedule an appointment online, they can still to come to the test site to see if they are able to go through and be tested Sunday.
    Everyone who participates in the testing will be notified of their test results directly from TestNebraska.  All information collected through TestNebraska.com is protected by HIPAA and all applicable state and federal laws.
    The state is opening up TestNebraska to the general population and no longer has requirements like age or symptoms.  
    SWNPHD residents who previously did not qualify through TestNebraska for testing are encouraged to complete the survey again if they are still interested in being tested for COVID-19, Skeen said.
State, area COVID cases
    According to the statewide map on the NE Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) website, positive COVID-19 cases grew to 19,957 as of Tuesday afternoon.
    Those positive tests came from a total of 158,827 tested in the state, or about 12.5%.
    COVID-related Nebraska deaths rose from last week’s 216 to 249 on Tuesday.
    Chase County has had no new cases in the past two weeks. Prior to that, one positive case had been recorded.
    Perkins, Hayes and Dundy counties have no cases.
    Nebraska’s hospital bed availability is at 45%, ICU bed availability is 48%, while ventilator availability statewide sits at 80%.