COVID-19 vaccinations continue in Nye

Roughly a month after Nye County began COVID-19 vaccinations to Tier-1 health professionals, Nye County Emergency Management Director Scott Lewis, who also serves as Chief of Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services, said several hundred vaccines have been administered so far, since vaccinations began in Nevada last month.

Frontline health care workers, staff and residents in long-term care facilities were among the first to receive phase one of the two-phase vaccination process.

“Vaccinations are going well and we completed a majority of our Tier 1 throughout the county and we are seeking to commence Tier 2,” Lewis said. “We are working closely with the state for permission in order to start that.”

The vaccination playbook

Each county and local health authority developed a distribution plan to administer the vaccines and implemented the process individually, while adhering to the Nevada COVID-19 Vaccine Playbook, Gov. Steve Sisolak said.

“The state’s vaccination team has done tremendous work to plan and prepare for this historic distribution process,” he said last month. “I am proud of their ongoing work to ensure the first distribution of the allocation has gone smoothly so hospitals can vaccinate their frontline workers.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after a vaccine is administered to an individual, they are monitored for any negative side effects, which is critical to help ensure that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks for those who receive the vaccine.

Monitoring reactions to vaccine

Lewis, meanwhile, spoke of that process locally as the people who were vaccinated were required to wait at least 15 minutes before leaving the location.

“Thus far there has been very few adverse reactions to the vaccines, and within the next two weeks, we will be getting phase two for those who received the original vaccine, so they will be receiving their second,” Lewis said.

According to Nye County Public Information Officer Arnold M. Knightly, COVID-19 testing is still available throughout the county, as positive tests continue to rise.

As of Monday, Jan. 18 in Pahrump, two new deaths related to the virus have been reported.

Testing information

Overall, there have been more than 2,370 confirmed cases of COVID-19 positive cases throughout the county, since the first reported case back in March of 2020.

Pahrump’s Serenity Health located at 2280 E. Calvada Blvd., Suite 301, across from the Calvada Eye, has partnered with the Nye County Sheriff’s Office and Nye County to provide drive-up COVID-19 testing for Nye County and surrounding communities.

Drive-up testing in Pahrump is on Mondays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Wednesday and Friday mornings from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Pre-registration is not required, as individuals can just show up at the site.

Those with no insurance will still be tested.

For additional information on testing and vaccinations in Pahrump, dial 211, or log onto nyecounty.net.

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes