More Clark County, Nevada hospitals get COVID-19 vaccine shipments

More acute-care hospitals across Clark County and Nevada on Tuesday received shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate their front-line workers, who are first in line to get the shot.

The St. Rose Dominican, Sunrise Health System and Valley Health System hospitals in the Las Vegas Valley plan to begin administering shots Wednesday, representatives said.

They were among the 400 hospitals and distribution sites around the country to start receiving shipments this week as part of the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history.

University Medical Center was the first hospital in the state to receive vaccine and began inoculating its personnel Monday. The first shot to be given in Nevada was administered to a 61-year-old intensive care unit nurse.

The VA Medical Center in North Las Vegas was one of 37 Veterans Affairs sites across the country to have received the vaccine this week. The sites were chosen for their ability to vaccinate large numbers of people and store the vaccines at the required ultra-cold temperatures.

“Ultimately, the department’s goal is to offer the vaccine to all veterans receiving care at VA,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a news release. “As increased vaccine supply is obtained, VA plans to distribute these vaccines at additional facilities to provide the vaccine to more veterans and employees.”

Nevada is set to receive 25,350 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week, state Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Shannon Litz said in an email. It expects to receive 91,650 doses of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of the month.

A vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. is expected to receive authorization for emergency use this week, resulting in states receiving additional doses of vaccine.

Nevada is distributing vaccine according to a tiered system, with front-line health care workers at greatest risk of exposure to COVID-19 at the front of the line for the shot, followed by residents and staff at long-term care facilities such as nursing homes. This month, vaccine is expected to be limited to those in the first tier, which also includes public safety and law enforcement personnel at heightened risk of exposure.

In Northern Nevada, the Washoe County Health District received its first shipment of vaccine Tuesday morning, Litz said.

The state health department is “working with our rural counties on their distributions,” she said, declining to provide distribution details for security reasons.

Native American tribes in Nevada have chosen to receive their vaccine allocation from the federal Indian Health Service, Litz said.

“The state of Nevada continues to work with our tribal communities and provide assistance as needed,” she said.

Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on Twitter.