LAS VEGAS (AP) - Health officials in Nevada have said second doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be offered at the Las Vegas Convention Center beginning next week.
The Southern Nevada Health District said the appointment-only clinic will open Feb. 2 for people who received their first doses at a health district clinic and are eligible to receive their second doses.
A shortage of vaccine supplies statewide has slowed the push to vaccinate as many people as possible but officials say they’re ramping up the effort in anticipation more will be available as early as next week.
In northern Nevada, the Washoe County Health District vaccinated the most people it has in a single day with first doses on Tuesday - 1,240 - and intended to do 900 more Wednesday afternoon despite a winter storm that dumped up to a foot of snow on parts of Reno-Sparks and closed schools countywide.
“We are giving it a little storm test today but we really wanted to stick with the schedule so people receive their second dose in a timely manner,” Washoe-County Health District officer Kevin Dick told reporters Wednesday.
Meanwhile, numbers of cases, deaths and hospitalizations continue to decline in the Reno-Sparks area.
“We are seeing some good trends,” Dick said.
The seven-day moving average of daily new cases has dropped to about 119, the lowest it’s been since mid-October just before a sharp surge that resulted in more than 500 new cases a day. The county expects to total about 100 COVID-19 deaths for the month of January, about half what it was for the month of September, he said.
In Las Vegas, the health district has started to notify people who are eligible including those who received their first shots at Western High School, Cashman Center or the health district’s main office in Las Vegas.
People who were vaccinated at one of the locations and who do not receive a notification can call the district to make appointments for the second doses. Residents who received their first doses at other locations will not be eligible.
“The facility offers our community a centrally located site to access the vaccine, and we appreciate the continued support the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has provided during the response (to) the pandemic,” said Dr. Fermin Leguen, the health district’s acting chief health officer.
Health officials recommend that the second dose of coronavirus vaccine be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible.
The interval for the Pfizer vaccine is 21 days and for the Moderna vaccine it is 28 days. The two vaccines are not interchangeable.
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