Nebraska Continues to Top US Rankings of State Vaccination Administration

Nebraska is pushing forward with the largest vaccination drive in the history of the state.

At an official state Q&A, Nebraska leaders announced the plans and goals of the statewide vaccination campaign in response to the global pandemic. They answered questions ranging from who would be getting vaccinated first to when everybody will be vaccinated.

Many questions and concerns rolled in with the same repetitive answers, resulting with the phrase “be patient” as the almost-slogan for the session. When asked where vaccinations will take place, especially in concern for the first priority group, reporters were simply told that locations would be set up. Where remains a mystery.

It must be noted that an undertaking of this size has never happened in Nebraska before. A website is in development for vaccination sign-ups using a system that has yet to be revealed. Priority groups include the elderly, those with medical conditions and an undefined group of medical personnel. In total, these groups number around 400,000 people. Priority groups are scheduled to begin receiving doses by Feb. 1. 

Compared to the rest of the U.S., Nebraska seems to be staying near the top rankings of states administering treatment. Currently in vaccines given per capita, Nebraska ranks at 23 out of the 50 states. Two weeks ago, Nebraska was fifth.

Nebraska is still scheduled to administer a little over 80,000 vaccines and receive an additional 32,400 doses. However, thanks to politics, state officials are stating that doses have been dropped to 23,000 first doses per week, far lower than planned. 

It could be said that the federal plan of administering the vaccine is inherently flawed. Of the thousands of vaccines in the state’s inventory, only a fraction are actually being administered with the rest being saved for the second dosage. Which makes very little sense. Why would the state need to save more vaccines than it’s giving? 

Overall, the situation could be far worse than it is right now. On the national level, President Joe Biden stated that “the vaccine rollout in the United States has been a dismal failure.”

Alexander Nesmith is a junior

communication major

from Calhoun, Ga.