During a televised Jan. 11 news conference, Governor Steve Sisolak announced he would be extending the Nevada Pause for an additional 30 days.
The pause is designed to curtail the spread of COVID-19 by adding restrictions to social gatherings, including keeping restaurants, gyms, casinos, libraries, and other establishments at 25 percent capacity and requiring social distancing and face coverings in those establishments.
Other businesses including retail stores, malls, and community centers are required to stay at 50 percent capacity. A complete listing of restrictions are available at https://nvhealthresponse.nv.gov/.
State law gives the governor the power in emergency situations to make, amend or rescind regulations, powers which he has used regularly since last spring. Sisolak said the surge of positive COVID cases from over the holidays would likely not be fully seen until the end of the January.
Sisolak said the state will now prioritize those 70 years old and older for vaccinations, rather than those 75 or older, which was the previous regulation.
News outlets report 61,644 doses of the vaccine have been administered as of Jan. 11 of the 174,000 doses Nevada has received. More are said to be arriving sometime this week.
The state immunization team expects the vaccine supply to increase substantially over the next few months.
Candice McDaniel of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services said during the briefing, “In the revised playbook, we have moved to a model where our essential frontline workers and specific high-risk population will move into parallel lines.”
Once Tier I health-care workers and support staff are vaccinated, the new playbook announced by Sisolak will transition to “lanes” of people who will be vaccinated concurrently.
McDaniel said, “Changing the playbook going forward to this new system does not affect those counties already moving into what was previously called Tier 2.”
One lane will be “essential workers, including public safety and security (law enforcement and correction staff), community support, (teachers and childcare), then foodservice and hospitality.”
In the other lane, the general population, those 70 years and older, will be vaccinated first, then those 65-69. That will be followed by those who are aged 16-64 with underlying conditions. That group also includes the homeless and individuals with disabilities. Finally, healthy people in the 16-64 age group will receive vaccines.
Inmates will be vaccinated in the same order as the general population, the governor’s office said.
As for when Nevadans can expect a full vaccine rollout in the state, the governor said this likely will not take place until “further into the year.”
Lincoln County has completed vaccinations for those in what was Tier 1.
Nicole Rowe, county health nurse, said they are taking appointments for vaccinations, 10 at a time. “There are 10 doses in a vial, and once opened, they must be administered within six hours.”
Missie Rowe, Grover C. Dils Medical Center CEO, said information was being put out to the community on the hospital’s Facebook page as to when vaccinations will be given. In Caliente, the hospital is giving vaccinations on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call (775) 726-3121 to make an appointment.
At the Lincoln County Health Department office, they are giving the vaccinations at specific times in the afternoon. Call (775) 962-8086 to make an appointment.
Nicole Rowe said they plan to do drive-through vaccinations, but a person has to wait 15 minutes to see if there might be a reaction.