Under Investigation – 2 Through Monday afternoon the Panhandle has seen 7,527 total cases, 14 active hospitalizations, a positivity rate over the prior week of 34.5% and a doubling time of 48 days from Nov. 9 through Dec. 27. The Panhandle risk dial remained steady in the middle of the orange, or high category. Dr. Kevin Reichmuth, Pulmonologist at Nebraska Pulmonology Specialties of Lincoln and Nebraska Army National Guard Colonel, joined the Panhandle briefing to outline the vaccine science and dispel circulating myths. Reichmuth shared messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines are a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases. To trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. mRNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein-or even a piece of a protein-that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies.