By Liz MacMenamin
Nevada received its first distribution of 12,675 COVID-19 doses on Tuesday, December 14, 2020. These were delivered to hospitals to be administered health care workers. The state is following the federal guidelines to distribute the first dosages to health care workers on the front lines and then to the long-term care facilities in our state. The state has a public-private partnership with members of RAN and these members will be assisting with the process of getting those in long-term care facilities vaccinated.
The first shipment is expected to cover only about 15 percent of the “Tier 1” community at this time. More doses are expected shortly in order to inoculate most of those in this “Tier 1” priority group..
The public will still have to wait several months before the vaccine is available in large enough quantities in order to be vaccinated.
RAN will be sending out information to keep its members updated as the vaccine becomes available.
UPDATE: 12/7/2020
Nevada is expected to receive approximately 164,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in December. Doses will be allocated to Tier One individuals. Allocations will be made according to the priority to as outlined in the Nevada’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program Playbook.
Those in Tier One by priority are:
- General medical and surgical hospital staff
- Long term care facilities – staff & residents
- Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals
- Emergency medical services personnel
- Frontline public health – workforce and volunteers
- Laboratory workers
- Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
- Outpatient and home health providers
- Nevada Department of Corrections – staff
- Deployed and mission critical personnel who play essential role in national security.
- State and local emergency operations – managers/Sstaff
Tier One recipients include front-line medical workers and others in the public health sector. This group includes 173,451 people. Nevada expects to implement vaccinations, including those in group A & B, as soon as vaccinations are received. Because vaccinations are limited, the state will will follow the aforementioned list as means of scheduling priority. Once Tier One vaccinations are complete, those in Tier Two, including those considered to be critical infrastructure workforce, will be offered vaccinations. This will include those in education, public transportation, agriculture and food processors, essential retail workers, logistics and supply chain, utilities, communication, NDOT, and others.
Tier Three will consist of those at increased risk for severe illness or of acquiring or transmitting COVID-19. This will include the homeless, those living in transitional housing, those with underlying health conditions that are or may be at increased risk of severe illness, and the elderly. Upon completion of the above individuals, the vaccine will then become available to healthy adults between the ages of 18-64 and the remainder of the public. The process is predicted to take time; many may have to wait until spring or midsummer according to Candace McDaniel, Bureau Chief of Nevada Department of Public and Behavioral Health.
Pharmacists or pharmaceutical technicians who are willing to volunteer in assisting in the administration of the vaccines should contact the Board of Pharmacy, who has been an active participant in the safe and effective rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations.