As COVID-19 continues to impact the world, the Christian County Health Department has begun administering vaccines locally and continues to offer free COVID-19 testing.
In a live press conference Wednesday morning, Amanda Sweeney with the department says testing offerings will change—after next week they will no longer offer rapid testing, but standard free testing will continue at Tie Breaker Park on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the month of January. She says their resources and efforts will start to go towards distribution of the vaccine, with the first phase well underway.
She expects that the general public will be able to start getting the shots, if they so wish, sometime in early summer. Beth McCraw will Jennie Stuart Health says there are currently 21 COVID-19 positive patients in the hospital, and they continue to see positive cases come through their urgent care.
She urges everyone who is able, to get the vaccine—there will be many who cannot take it, and this is a way to not only protect them, but yourself.
McCraw says herd immunity will only be achieved if 70 to 90 percent of population takes the vaccine, and many people have concerns about taking it—so in the meantime, people need to make sure they’re keeping up those health guidelines of wearing a face mask and frequently and thoroughly washing their hands.