Although the local COVID-19 vaccination plan has not been approved at the state level, Shannon Ernst, director of the county social service department, reported at the recent board of health meeting she has submitted the draft plan to the state, and her staff is working to be ready to receive the vaccine in the next couple of weeks, as soon as one is approved.
Governor Sisolak announced last week that while the vaccine has not been approved yet, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services is on standby and prepared to distribute the initial allocation, and has developed priorities for immunization focusing first on Nevada’s essential health care providers. Nevada will receive 164,150 doses of the vaccine that will be used for hospital staff, and other Tier One individuals. The second dose allocations will be delivered three to four weeks later, as the vaccines require two doses to be effective.
“We are meeting weekly and looking at how our testing pod is set up and we will utilize that same format for the vaccination,” said Ernst. “We are working on Tier 1, which is focusing on our health care workers and first responders because it could be limited.” Depending on how many vaccines are available, the program would be expanded into Tier 2, 3, and then 4.
One of the equipment requirements for the vaccine program is a refrigerator and a freezer to properly store the vaccines. The expected vaccines are made by two companies, Pfizer and Moderna. The Pfizer vaccine must be kept a minus 70 degrees Celsius until needed and must be used within five days of being thawed as long as it is refrigerated. Moderna is stable at regular freezer temperatures, minus 20 degrees Celsius and can last in a refrigerator for 30 days.
Ernst is expecting delivery of these pieces of equipment next week prior to the first shipment, which she is expecting will be the Pfizer vaccine and then the Moderna vaccine will come later. At the time the vaccines are delivered, both Ernst and the Governor say by the middle of December, the vaccine program will be implemented with an invite to the vaccination “pod.”
“I just urge anyone who is looking to obtain the vaccine,” said Ernst, “you will be required to have the flu shot at least two weeks prior,” to the administration of the COVID vaccine. “With that being said, we are putting on another flu pod at the beginning of December and we will be getting that information out so they can prepare,” said Ernst.
Dr. Tedd McDonald is the county health officer and leads the county board of health meetings. He said it is important to get the word out to the community that before receiving the COVID vaccine it is necessary to have the flu vaccination at least two weeks ahead of time. “I’m hoping that at our pods and future vaccination clinics we have the word out that when the vaccine does come out it is imperative that people have the flu shot ahead of time. That should drive a lot more interest and drive folks to receive the flu vaccine at this point,” he said.
The county is sponsoring free Drive-thru flu shots with the option to test for COVID on December 8th at the Fairgrounds from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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