Initial allocation of COVID vaccines for state announced

The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services received official notice from the Department of Defense and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the state’s December COVID-19 vaccine allocation.

The state is set to receive more than 164,000 doses throughout the month which will be used for hospital staff, skilled nursing facility staff and residents and other Tier One individuals as outlined in Nevada’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program Playbook. This initial allocation should cover the majority of the Tier One individuals as outlined in the playbook.

The allocation is set to include 91,650 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine and 72,500 doses from Moderna.

The second doses of the allocation are expected three to four weeks after the initial dose is delivered. Both Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines require two doses to be fully effective.

DHHS has developed an equitable and science-based plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccine to every Nevadan who chooses to receive it.

The vaccine will be distributed after the federal review and approval process is complete, which includes vetting through advisory committees with the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC.

The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is planning to meet to review the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorization Thursday, Dec. 10 and then meeting Dec. 17 to review the Moderna product.

As part of the COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, Nevada continues to coordinate with other Western states in the independent review of the safety and efficacy of any vaccine approved by the FDA for distribution. This verification process is happening in coordination with the federal process and is not anticipated to cause any delay in getting a safe vaccine to the residents in these participating states.