People seeking 2nd COVID shot earlier than CDC guidelines turned away

Some Nevadans eager to receive their final Moderna COVID-19 vaccine were turned away Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center because of time requirements for the second dose.

The Southern Nevada Health District on Thursday announced it had lifted appointment requirements at the convention center’s vaccination site dedicated to second doses.

The second dose of the Moderna vaccine is meant to be taken 28 days after the first. While Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines say that people can get the second shot up to four days earlier or up to six weeks, the walk-ins at the convention center are only available on or after the 28-day mark.

‘What a nightmare’

One man said he tried for a walk-in because he “wanted to get it over with,” but he was turned away when health district staff realized he was too early for the second dose.

“I didn’t know if I could do it early, and they told me that I could go at the appointed time, and I could just walk in then even though it was booked,” said the man, who declined to give his name.

Others said they were able to schedule an appointment but were turned away because they arrived too soon after their first dose. Dennis Kempf, 69, said the health district’s website allowed him to schedule an appointment online for Friday, even though there had not been enough time since his first dose.

“I wish they would at least give us accurate information online,” said Kempf, who works in a grocery store. “Now I have to wait longer. I hope I don’t have to repeat this process again. What a nightmare.”

Elaine Chrisman and her husband, Jim Chrisman, said the website allowed them to schedule appointments for Friday, even though they received their first doses 19 days ago.

The two were turned away at the convention center and told to reschedule, Elaine Chrisman said.

Easy process for others

In order to have enough doses for walk-ins, the health district canceled first-dose appointments at the convention center, which should not have been able to be scheduled in the first place.

It also said it had notified people who’d made the appointments of the cancellations. The district identified them through vaccination records, district representative Jennifer Sizemore said Thursday. Sizemore could not immediately provide a number for how many appointments had been canceled or how many walk-ins would be taken.

It was unclear Friday how many people successfully received their second shot as walk-ins.

But those who were able to be vaccinated through appointments said the process was quick and easy.

Sarah Stewart, a behavioral health counselor, said getting the second dose was emotional, similar to when she became a citizen years ago.

“Just the fact that humanity has been able to come up with this vaccine and all the processes that are involved for me to sit in a chair and get that shot, it’s quite incredible,” Stewart said.

The convention center site is open Tuesday to Saturday, and eligible walk-ins are accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until doses run out. The health district is emailing appointment links to those who registered and provided an email address. Others can use the public link at snhd.info/get-vaccine/lvccc.

Anyone who needs assistance making an appointment can call the health district at 702-759-1900 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter. Review-Journal intern Mya Constantino contributed to this report.