COVID-19 vaccine given to veterans in southern Nevada

George Davis, 78, was one of the first veterans to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine at the VA Medical Center in North Las Vegas, driving from St. George, Utah.

“I believe this will eliminate another worry,” Davis, who is being treated for cancer, said while firing on Tuesday.

Veterans Department Hospitals receiving vaccines through a distribution system separate from the rest of the state are at highest risk this week, including veterans being treated for serious medical problems such as cancer and renal failure. Started injections into veterans.

Meanwhile, state and national public health officials are addressing the complexity of the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history and still provide details on when and how older non-veterans Nevadans will be vaccinated. I have not.

Those over 75 years old In Nevada, after a Tier 1 group that includes front-line healthcare professionals, first responders, residents, and nursing home staff, there are people who prioritize vaccination next.

At the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, staff have already been shot. Nearly 60% of the hospital’s 3,000 staff choose vaccination, and a study found that an additional 25% could choose vaccination at a later date, spokeswoman John Archikett said. Hospitals also vaccinate patients in housing programs.

The hospital administered the initial dose of Pfizer vaccine about 2,200 times, along with veterans shot this week, according to Archiket. This requires two doses.

The hospital administered about 46% of the 4,750 doses of vaccine. This includes the 950 vaccine shipments received on Tuesday.

According to emergency manager Adrian Allen, about 300 shots are fired per day, with plans to double that number. Its top priority is to reach the 4,600 most vulnerable veterans and, once the vaccine is available, provide shots to all veterans who need it.

Candice Hamel, assistant nurse manager at a specialized clinic, said the hospital was contacting VA-registered veterans when it was their turn to vaccinate. When asked about when veterans were eligible for the vaccine, she suggested that they talk to their VA primary care physician.

Rollout delay

Creating a schedule for administering a vaccine is complicated because you do not know exactly when a new shipment will arrive.

“Really, we are at the mercy of getting a new batch,” Hamel said.

It is also complicated by the logistical challenges of vaccines that require ultra-low temperature storage and special handling, said Brian Tarman, Head of Pharmacy Services. The Pfizer vaccine should be mixed with saline and should be given within 6 hours of mixing.

Despite the sensitivity of the vaccine, the hospital avoided wasting doses by providing shots to patients at specialized clinics when there was a no-show of appointments at the vaccine clinic.

Due to the high degree of coordination required, administration of the COVID-19 vaccine is much more complicated than influenza vaccination. And that complexity contributes to the national delays in vaccination.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the more than 17 million vaccines distributed nationwide, about 4.8 million, or 28 percent, have been administered.

Of the 142,525 doses in Nevada, 34,549 are given, less than a quarter according to the CDC. However, there are some delays in reporting, state officials said.

Tier 1’on track’

A state spokeswoman did not directly answer questions about possible vaccination bottlenecks.But she Information in dispute On Monday, the Southern Health District of Nevada stipulated that people over the age of 75 could be vaccinated soon next week.

“Based on state analysis of the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine to health care workers in Tier 1 populations by the Southern Nevada Health District, and plans to distribute current quotas, there are signs that SNHD is ready to move to Tier 2. Shannon Ritz, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Health and Welfare, said in an email.

“The state is currently working with SNHD to consider ways to more efficiently vaccinate Tier 1 healthcare professionals with their current quotas,” Litz said.

A spokeswoman for the health district said the agency is on track to distribute vaccines and that the state is the best source of information on plans to vaccinate older people through local pharmacies.

“We are on track with a distribution plan to administer the vaccine to Tier 1 groups,” spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore said in an email.

According to Ritz, state pharmacy partners are immunizing residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Some of them are over 75 years old, but they are not members of the general public in this age group.

“The state will continue to inform Nevadan when, where, and how to access the vaccine when it becomes available,” she said.

Contact Mary Hines [email protected] Or 702-383-0336.To follow @ MaryHynes1 On Twitter.