Sisolak announces vaccine events for kids

The clock is ticking on Gov. Steve Sisolak’s statewide effort to vaccinate children ages 5 to 11 against COVID-19 before the end of the year.

The plan, dubbed “Protect Nevada’s Future,” is in partnership with Nevada Health Response, the Nevada State Immunization Program, Immunize Nevada and local partners, according to a news release from Sisolak’s office on Monday.

“Protect Nevada’s Future” will focus on a series of vaccine events for kids from Dec. 18-23.

“The event will feature pharmacies, pop-up clinics, and provider offices throughout the state that will be offering Pfizer’s 5-to-11-year-old COVID-19 vaccine,” the release stated. “Each site will provide vaccine information for parents and caregivers to make sure their questions are answered.”

Sisolak noted that while families and communities will be gathering during the holidays, an additional virus variant raises concerns for another COVID-19 surge.

“Children are as likely to be infected with COVID-19 as adults and can get sick with short- and long-term health complications,” Sisolak said. “We want to do what we can to prevent more Nevadans from getting ill.”

FDA authorization

In October, Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11.

The vaccine, according to the agency, is to be administered as a two-dose series, 21 days apart.

After results from clinical trials, the vaccine was found to have a 90.9 percent efficacy rate in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 to 11.

Though the side effects experienced by trial participants in the age group were said to have been very mild, they include pain and redness at the injection site, fatigue, headache, fever, diarrhea, and muscle pain, the release stated.

Public safety issue

In regard to the vaccination effort, state of Nevada Health Bureau Chief Karissa Loper noted that vaccinating kids further safeguards members of the community who cannot get vaccinated because they are immunocompromised or too young.

“It’s important to offer our younger children a layer of protection before they return to school after the holiday break,” she said. “I hope this week of events encourages families to get their questions answered and make a plan for vaccinations.”

Pahrump/Nye County numbers

Nye County spokesman Arnold Knightly reported this week that there had been three new confirmed deaths of Pahrump residents related to COVID-19, as of Dec. 6.

Additionally, there had been 74 new reported and confirmed COVID-19 positive cases in Nye County since Dec. 6, with two in Amargosa Valley, two in Smoky Valley, two in Tonopah, one in Beatty, and the remainder in Pahrump.

All told, there have been a total of 4,881 confirmed cases of COVID-19 countywide since the first reported case in March 2020.

The test positivity rate in Nye County stands at 12.8 percent, which is the second-highest in the state.

To find a vaccine site for children, visit nvcovidfighter.org or call 800-401-0946.

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