OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Omaha firefighters began receiving coronavirus vaccinations on Wednesday as Nebraska continued to distribute doses to front-line workers who are at risk of getting exposed to the virus.
The city’s firefighters are among the first in line for vaccinations because they also work as emergency medical technicians or paramedics. Those who work in the field are getting priority over those in administrative jobs, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
Assistant Chief Kathy Bossman said about 36% of the department has tested positive for the virus so far.
“In our line of work, we certainly are entering people’s homes or businesses or nursing homes and hospitals,” Bossman said. “We want to vaccinate our personnel so that we are reducing the chance that we are part of the community spread.”
Nebraska further relaxed its social-distancing rules on Thursday as the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients remained fairly stable, according to the state’s tracking portal.
The state reported 572 people hospitalized in Nebraska as of Wednesday night, down sharply from the high of 987 on Nov. 20 but still much higher than earlier in the pandemic.
Nebraska has confirmed 159,662 cases and 1,561 deaths since the pandemic began. The state reported 1,338 new cases on Wednesday.
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