Riley County is making a push to expand its free COVID-19 testing capabilities throughout February.
“We are in some different parts of Manhattan this week and then we’ll be headed up to Randolph, over to Ogden, so we’re trying to reach everybody that might not be able to get in to Manhattan to get that testing,” said Riley County Public Information Officer Alice Massimi.
Testing will be available 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at Northeast Community Park, located at 680 Knox Lane. No appointments are necessary. Additional test sites will be announced via the health department Facebook page.
Massimi says the health department has been encouraged by a drop in the percent positive rate and the amount of hospitalizations, attributed to vigilance by community members. She says they hope to see that continue.
“We’re a little concerned with the Super Bowl coming up this weekend and everybody’s going to want to have big parties, especially with the Chiefs in it. We just ask people to continue to social distance. If you are going to have a party, please try to have a small party. If you can, wear your masks so we can keep cases down,” she said.
Vaccine clinics also continue. The county was aiming to vaccinate an additional 600 residents by the end of Tuesday.
Starting Wednesday, the health department is rolling out a new vaccine registration form.
Anyone can sign up now to be added to the queue for when it’s their turn to be vaccinated, regardless of what phase you fall under. Massimi says the entire sign up process is straight forward.
“The big thing we want to point out about that is that you will not receive a confirmation email. We’ve had a lot of confusion over that. There will just be a screen that pops up and says your registration is confirmed,” she said.
The confirmation message (seen below) is what will pop up on your screen once registration is complete.
Courtesy: Riley County Health Department
A postcard is being mailed out to 32,000 households and businesses this week notifying them on how to register for the vaccine. This effort is made possible by a generous donation from the Butler Family Foundation, a supporting organization of the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation.
As for getting doses into the arms of individuals, Massimi says that process is a quick turnaround from the moment Riley County receives notice of a shipment from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
“We have never chosen people to be vaccinated randomly. It’s been first come, first serve and right now it’s those 65 and older with severe health conditions, because they’re our most vulnerable population,” she said.
If you’ve already registered, health officials say you don’t have to sign up again. Those who signed up will be contacted in the order they were registered.
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