Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine available to those aged 12 years and older starting today
Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to get the vaccine
May 13, 2021. Reno/Sparks, NV – The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now available to those 12 years and older in Washoe County after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the State of Nevada approved to expand eligibility on Wednesday.
Starting today, those aged 12 years and older can receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center drive through Point of Dispensing (POD). For patients aged 12-17, a parent or guardian must be present.
Schedule an appointment by going to this link or call 775-328-2427. Appointments are not required but they are recommended to speed up the process to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Only the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is approved for ages 12-17.
“We strongly recommend that adolescents aged 12-17 get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible,” said Kevin Dick, District Health Officer in Washoe County. “While the risk for severe illness is lower among youth, long term impacts of infection are not well understood and they can still transmit the virus to others.”
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) endorsed the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 12-15 on Wednesday, which the CDC adopted. The CDC, FDA and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup now recommend that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine be used among this population.
According to the CDC, though most children with COVID-19 have mild or no symptoms, some children can get severely ill and require hospitalization. There have also been rare, tragic cases of children dying from COVID-19 and its effects, including multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C.
There have been seven cases of MIS-C reported in Washoe County and all required hospitalization.
The COVID-19 Regional Information Center is working together to deliver COVID-19 community updates in a unified manner. While press releases are only sent periodically for significant events, you can always get daily results on our website, https://covid19washoe.com/, our COVID-19 Dashboard or by following us on Twitter @COVID19Washoe. The entities include: City of Reno, City of Sparks, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Regional Transportation Commission, REMSA, Reno Sparks Indian Colony, Reno Police Department, Reno Fire Department, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, University of Nevada, Reno, Washoe County, Washoe County Health District, Washoe County School District and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. Also in the group are the area hospitals, Northern Nevada Medical Center, Renown Health and Saint Mary’s.