Vaccines for Nevadans with health conditions coming to pharmacies

Nevadans 16 or older with a medical condition that puts them at higher risk for complications from COVID-19 will become eligible next week for vaccination, but many won’t be able to get a shot right away.

“Unfortunately, there will not be enough vaccine doses available in that first week,” said state vaccine official Candice McDaniel, who urged “continued patience” and ongoing checks of appointment portals.

Newly eligible as of Monday will be those 16 to 54 with certain underlying medical conditions, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced this week. A week earlier, those 55 to 64 with medical conditions were made eligible. Everyone over 65 is eligible.

There are an estimated 610,000 Nevadans in the category becoming eligible Monday, state officials said. However, some of them became eligible previously as part of a prioritized occupational group. Health care workers made up the first priority group in December, and hospitality and food-service workers became eligible this month.

The state expects to receive 25,110 first doses of vaccine next week to be distributed through retail pharmacies, which will be giving the shots to the newly eligible group, Shannon Litz, a representative of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, said in an email. Other vaccination sites such as Cashman Center and the Las Vegas Convention Center sites will not be administering doses to this group.

The state expects to receive another 63,680 doses next week to be divided among the counties, she said.

In working with the state Board of Pharmacy and other partners, “it was determined that this population with underlying health conditions would best be served in a pharmacy or a medical setting,” McDaniel, a Nevada Department of Health and Human Services bureau chief, said during a Friday online briefing.

Retail pharmacy program

“Pharmacies have opened appointments for next week and most pharmacies utilize a real-time inventory of vaccine,” Litz said. “These systems will only allow the software to list an appointment when the pharmacy has the vaccine dose located in the pharmacy.

“The availability of the vaccine is constantly changing and if you’re not successful in making an appointment when you first check, please check again later.”

In making appointments, people will be asked to “self-attest” to having an underlying condition that makes them eligible, Litz said, citing a protocol outlined by the CDC.

“Pharmacies will not require specific credentials in order to keep the burden low for individuals and pharmacies,” she said.

During an appointment, a pharmacy representative may ask people about their age, occupation or underlying medical conditions. Screening will also include checking for medical reasons an individual should not receive the vaccine.

That there is no requirement to document a medical condition reflects a shift toward removing barriers to getting the vaccine as supplies increase.

“It seems to be the lesser of two evils to just have people tell the truth, and the few that abuse this system will abuse the system,” Johan Bester, director of bioethics at the UNLV School of Medicine, said on Monday.

In just two more weeks, on April 5, all Nevadans 16 or older will become eligible to be vaccinated, Sisolak announced Wednesday.

The state has administered more than 1 million doses of vaccine, with 379,000 people fully vaccinated, representing 12 percent of the population, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Doctor’s offices to stock vaccine

Also on Monday, some private doctor’s offices and clinics will begin stocking the Moderna vaccine.

“Private providers need to be able to reach their high-risk patients who have underlying health conditions with the products currently available,” Litz said. “Moderna is also relatively easy for a general clinic to stock and store in a normal, stand-alone freezer unit.”

Nevada is not yet receiving a steady supply of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, also referred to as the Janssen vaccine, which also can be readily stored.

It was unclear how widely vaccine would soon be available in doctor’s offices and clinics.

Underlying conditions that put a person at higher risk from COVID-19, according to the state and CDC, include the following: cancer; chronic kidney disease; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other chronic lung diseases; Down syndrome; heart conditions, including high blood pressure; immunocompromised from organ transplant; obesity; pregnancy; sickle cell disease; Type 2 diabetes; and smoking.

Conditions that might put a person at greater risk include: moderate to severe asthma; cerebrovascular disease; immunocompromised from a blood or bone marrow transplant, HIV or use of immune-weakening medicines; neurologic conditions such as dementia; liver disease; being overweight; the blood disorder thalassemia; and Type 1 diabetes.

Having a condition in either category now makes a person eligible for vaccine.

Booking an appointment

Some pharmacies already have begun to schedule appointments for the newly eligible. Immunize Nevada’s website, nvcovidfighter.org, provides the following links to appointment portals:

Albertson’s: albertsons.com/pharmacy/covid-19.html

CVS: cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine?icid=cvs-home-hero1-link2-coronavirus-vaccine

Smith’s: smithsfoodanddrug.com/rx/covid-eligibility

Vons: vons.com/pharmacy/covid-19.html

Walgreens: walgreens.com/schedulevaccine

Walmart/Sam’s Club: walmart.com/cp/1228302

Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MaryHynes1 on Twitter.