Weekly COVID-19 Vaccine Community Newsletter – March 18, 2021

March 18, 2021. Reno/Sparks, NV – The Regional Information Center is providing a COVID-19 vaccine community newsletter in Washoe County to help educate residents on the mass vaccination effort by the COVID-19 Response Team and community partners.

Update from the COVID-19 Response Team

Providers in Washoe County have administered 160,282 COVID-19 vaccines overall (64,791 second doses), with 19,458 happening between March 10-March 17, 2021. Visit the State of Nevada’s vaccine dashboard to see more. The Health District has opened up eligibility to the Frontline Commerce & Services Industries group, which includes bars, restaurants, hotels, casinos and resorts. See more here.

Update from Governor Sisolak

On Wednesday, March 17, Governor Sisolak announced that Nevadans ages 16 and older with underlying conditions will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting March 22 from local pharmacies in the Retail Pharmacy Program. More information will be released soon on which pharmacies and medical providers that will be.

On April 5, all Nevadans 16 and older will be eligible. Watch yesterday’s press conference here.

Here’s what this means for Washoe County:

Vaccination opportunities for these new groups will only be available through the Retail Pharmacy Program or participating healthcare providers, meaning you will need to schedule your appointment with one of the providers listed below. You will not be able to schedule an appointment prior to the dates mentioned above.

Washoe County Health District will continue to schedule appointments only for Seniors 65+ and frontline/essential workers as defined in the prioritization lanes on our website. Once we have reached the majority of these populations, we will schedule appointments for all other eligible candidates.

Retail Pharmacy Providers:

Check with each resource individually, and often. Signing up for the Washoe County waiting list does NOT mean you are also signed up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at one of these locations – these are separate appointment availabilities.

The following partners are also scheduling appointments for eligible lanes with limited availability:

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine in Washoe County by going to our website.

What are the Underlying Health Conditions?

The Nevada State Immunization Program (NSIP) identifies the following underlying health conditions as ones which will cause a person to have an increased risk of severe illness of COVID-19:

  • Cancer
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Chronic lung diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Down syndrome
  • Heart conditions
  • Anyone who is immunocompromised from an organ transplant
  • Obesity
  • Pregnancy
  • Sickle cell disease
  • Type 2 diabetes mellitus
  • Smoking

RTC Offers Free Rides to and from COVID Vaccine Appointments

The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Washoe County is working to get transportation to those who need assistance getting to and from COVID vaccination locations. Beginning on Monday, March 22, the RTC will offer free RIDE, FlexRIDE and ACCESS trips to vacation locations. To get your free trip to any vaccination location, simply show the driver proof of your vaccine appointment when boarding. Proof can be provided by showing the driver your appointment confirmation in text, email or printed formats.

These services should not be used for drive-through vaccine appointments. For more information, please visit rtcwashoe.com, or call RTC Customer Service at (775) 348-RIDE.

B.1.1.17 Variant of COVID-19 Confirmed in Washoe County

There are currently 14 known cases of a new variant of COVID-19, known as B.1.1.17, in Washoe County. The variant in question originated in the United Kingdom and was first reported on March 12. With the new variant present, please let it serve as a reminder that we are not out of the woods with COVID-19 and that caution should continue to be taken. Even if you’ve received the vaccine, please continue to wear your masks, social distance and wash your hands. Learn more here.

For all COVID-19 Vaccine questions, please visit our regional website, www.COVID19WashoeVaccine.com.

Please share: If you know of someone who wants to receive this newsletter, pass along the link to sign up. https://covid19washoe.com/signup/

The COVID-19 Regional Information Center is working together to deliver COVID-19 community updates in a unified manner. While press releases are only sent periodically for significant events, you can always get daily results on our website, https://covid19washoe.com/, our COVID-19 Dashboard or by following us on Twitter @COVID19Washoe. The entities include: City of Reno, City of Sparks, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Regional Transportation Commission, REMSA, Reno Sparks Indian Colony, Reno Police Department, Reno Fire Department, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, University of Nevada, Reno, Washoe County, Washoe County Health District, Washoe County School District and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. Also in the group are the area hospitals, Northern Nevada Medical Center, Renown Health and Saint Mary’s.