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1. So many front-line workers sought help paying COVID-19 costs, North Dakota stopped taking applications
After almost 3,000 of North Dakota s first responders and health care workers applied for funds to help cover their COVID-19-related medical expenses, the state stopped accepting applications Wednesday, Dec. 16, due to the overwhelming response.
Earlier this month, the North Dakota Legislature approved allocating $2.5 million of the state s federal pandemic stimulus funds to create the Medical Expense Assistance Program to help first responders and front-line health care workers pay for COVID-19 expenses. Applicants could only qualify for the funds if they tested positive for COVID-19, and had not applied or were rejected for worker s compensation.
Devils Lake Journal
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit North Dakota hard. For the majority of November, the state had the worst outbreak of COVID-19 per-capita in the country. However, since precautions were put in place by Governor Doug Burgum, the state is now seeing improvement from where it was at.
At the weekly COVID-19 Response Press Conference held by the North Dakota Department of Health on Dec. 16, Burgum applauded health care workers and North Dakotans efforts into slowing the spread of the disease. In addition, the introduction of the vaccine and newer testing options as detailed in the press conference.
ajohnson@minotdailynews.com
Vaccinations of health care personnel who are on the front line of treating coronavirus patients began this week. Two health workers were vaccinated on Wednesday during the governor’s statewide news briefing.
One of them, Alena Goergen, director of nursing at the Miller Pointe nursing home in Mandan, said she tested positive for COVID-19 in September, was ill and still has lingering symptoms of the disease including a noticeable loss of stamina.
The state is recommending that people like Goergen get vaccinated even if they have already had the disease, as it may be possible to catch COVID-19 twice.
COVID-19 hospitalizations plummet in North Dakota as officials catch up on data; vaccines touted bismarcktribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bismarcktribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Burgum, health officials push COVID-19 vaccine as health care workers receive first doses
Front-line health care workers at the state s largest hospitals have begun receiving their first of two doses of the vaccine developed by pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and BioNTech. North Dakota has already gotten a shipment of 6,825 doses from Pfizer, and the state has an order in for 13,200 doses of drugmaker Moderna s vaccine, which will likely gain approval from the federal government later this week. Written By: Jeremy Turley | ×
Gov. Doug Burgum speaks at a press conference in Bismarck on Wednesday, Dec. 16 as Lindsey Solberg Herbel interprets his words in American Sign Language. Jeremy Turley / Forum News Service