COVID-19 drive-through vaccinations
Dec. 10, 2021. Reno/Sparks, NV – The COVID-19 vaccine drive-through clinic at Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center (RSLEC) will transition after Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, as the operation will move indoors to the Washoe County Health District main clinic at 1001 E. 9th St. Building B in Reno.
COVID-19 testing at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center is still available and will not be affected
Vaccine operations inside the Health District will be available Monday-Friday starting Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. Appointments at the Health District Immunization Clinic can be made by calling 775-328-2427 – there is not an option to schedule a clinic appointment online. Several other vaccines options in the community are available by visiting www.vaccines.gov.
The announcement comes almost a year since the COVID-19 Regional Response Team received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine, which was Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. The first vaccine administered at RSLEC was Dec. 17, 2020 for health care workers.
- 165,000 doses have been administered at the RSLEC, which includes first, second and third doses as well as boosters
- At its peak, more than 2,500 doses were administered per day at RSLEC
“Last winter, our drive-through, mass-vaccination clinic was a vital component for administering COVID-19 vaccines in Washoe County when supplies were extremely limited,” said Kevin Dick, District Health Officer in Washoe County. “Staff at the Health District, regional partners, volunteers and the Nevada National Guard poured their hearts into that operation, and it became a model for many other organizations regionally because it was efficient and safe. Washoe County needed a large-scale operation to vaccinate as many people as possible and it was accomplished quickly.”
Dick continued, “Now as we move through this pandemic and COVID-19 vaccinations are widely available through numerous providers, it’s appropriate to move the Health District operation indoors and expand our community COVID-19 vaccine events. The Health District, through all of our vaccination events, has been dispensing less than 10 percent of the total vaccines administered in the community. The goal was to support a mass-vaccination site until regional pharmacies and community providers stood up their own vaccine capabilities. We feel at this time that the community has met that challenge.”
The Health District will continue to provide additional community COVID-19 vaccination events that will occur on a semi-permanent basis that residents can visit for any COVID-19 vaccine. Information on these locations will be announced soon.
Next week, the Washoe County School District, Washoe County Health District, Community Health Alliance and Immunize Nevada are collaborating to host 13 COVID-19 vaccine events solely for children ages 5-11. See the events here.
The Regional Information Center encourages residents, especially those who do not have access to a primary care physician, to take advantage of the free opportunity seek out a Community COVID-19 Vaccine Event for COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. You can also check local pharmacies at vaccines.gov or visit Community Health Alliance for further opportunities. Call 775-328-2427 to schedule a vaccine at the Health District.
For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine in Washoe County, visit www.COVID19Washoe.com.
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 Community Health Alliance and the area hospitals, Northern Nevada Medical Center, Renown Health and Saint Mary’s.