In its partnership with Churchill County, Mineral County is continuing to offer free covid testing in February. The testing events will be held on Mineral Road next to the fire department building on the following dates (by appointment only): Feb. 1-2, Feb. 6-9, Feb. 14-16, Feb. 23, and Feb. 28. To schedule an appointment, visit https://www.churchillcountynv.gov/816/COVID19-INFO or call (775) 699-4119. All three COVID vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson) plus the seasonal flu vaccine are available at all the clinics.
Churchill County Public Health (CCPH) is also hosting two other testing events that you don’t need an appointment for on February 10 and 22 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. However, due to the shortage of rapid tests in the State of Nevada, the county’s health partners are only administering PCR tests which take up to five days to receive results. It also offers COVID monoclonal antibody treatment for eligible individuals; call (775)423-6695, option 2 for more information.
Churchill County and Mineral County are forming a health district between them and two other rural counties, and these covid testing events are the first step in solidifying that partnership. On February 8, it will confirm the name of the new central Nevada health district.
At the January 19 Mineral County Board of Commissioners meeting, Churchill County Public Health representatives provided a PowerPoint presentation covering the new CDC guidelines for isolation and quarantining, as well as the number of covid vaccination doses and test results from its recent events.
In the presentation, Churchill County health officials shared that it has given out 978 booster shots. Between December 2021 and January 17, 2022, a total of 124 covid vaccine doses have been administered in Mineral County; 94 percent of those to residents. More than 51 percent of the Mineral County population ages five and older have been vaccinated. Out of the rural counties in Nevada, Mineral County is ranked third out of 14 for the highest percentage of residents ages five and old who are fully vaccinated.
Since January 2021, the largest spike in positive covid cases was in January of this year. After CCPH’s January 13 testing event, 40 people tested positive. Most of the cases were of the omicron variant. Mineral County has a 30.7 percent test positivity rate (over a 14-day period with a 7-day lag) compared to a 34.6 percent test positivity rate statewide. As of January 18, there have been 961 covid cases (including Schurz), 938 recoveries, and 17 deaths.
The Mineral County Board of Health will now be holding its public meetings on the first Wednesday of the month at 10am with covid-specific items to be discussed at 10:30 a.m. For information about how to attend the meeting, visit http:// mineralcountynv.us/.
