Tuesday, Feb. 8 – All residents aged 5+
- McQueen High School, 6055 Lancer St, Reno, 3-6 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 9 – All residents aged 5+
- Desert Skies Middle School, 7550 Donatello Dr, Sun Valley, 3-6 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 10 – All residents aged 5+
- Reno-Sparks Convention Center, 4590 S Virginia St, Reno, 3:30-6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 12 – All residents aged 5+
- Washoe County Administrative Complex, Board of County Commission Chambers, Building A, 1001 E. 9th St., Reno, 9 a.m.-noon
Schedule an appointment to any of those COVID-19 vaccine events here.
Residents are encouraged to visit COVID19Washoe.com to view other community vaccine events scheduled weekly.
The COVID-19 vaccine remains the best way to protect you and your loved ones from severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Those aged 5 and older are eligible to receive the free vaccine. To get a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, visit http://www.vaccines.gov. You can also find more community vaccine events here.
First Omicron BA.2 variant detected in Washoe County
The Washoe County Health District is reporting the first COVID-19 Omicron BA.2 variant case in Washoe County, per sequencing from the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory.
The Omicron BA.2 variant is a subvariant of Omicron. To date, other sequenced Omicron cases have been Omicron BA.1, which currently makes up over 99% of new COVID-19 cases in Washoe County. The BA.2 variant has been found in 57 countries to date. Initial data suggest that it is more transmissive than the original BA.1 form of Omicron; however, it does not seem to be any more severe and the vaccines continue to provide similar protections against the different forms of Omicron according to the World Health Organization.
The Washoe County resident who was positive for Omicron BA.2 had travelled internationally, which is where the individual is believed to have been infected but has since recovered from the illness. The resident was fully vaccinated but not boosted.
COVID-19 testing demand decreasing in Washoe County; Livestock Events Center hours being adjusted
Due to a rapid decrease in demand for COVID-19 testing, the operations schedule for the testing site at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center is being adjusted.
Starting Feb. 7, 2022, the Livestock Events Center testing site will be open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Up to 300 people can be tested per day and all must have COVID-19 symptoms or be a close contact (6 feet or less for 15 minutes) to a confirmed COVID-19 case.
To schedule a test, go to www.COVID19Washoe.com and find the “Schedule a Test” tab, or click here. Alternative testing can be found here. Residents can also call 775-328-2427, Monday-Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to schedule an appointment or get other COVID-19 questions answered.
If you get COVID-19, expect a text from Washoe County Health District
The Washoe County Health District (WCHD) added a self-survey feature to COVID-19 case investigations for residents and are reminding people 18 years and older that you might be contacted via text message.
If you receive a text message from the Health District directing you to fill out the secure form by clicking on the unique link in the text message, please do not ignore the message. Residents will be asked to verify basic information and then follow instructions to fill out the form and include requested contact information on those you may have exposed. The form will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.
If you’re concerned about the validity of the text, please call 775-328-2427.
Text messages also will be sent to known close contacts to COVID-19 positive cases. The notifications will include instructions on what to do if you are a close contact, which includes a direct link to the covid19washoe.com website self-isolation and quarantine page. This is not an opt-in process; contacts will be texted/emailed based off information gathered from investigations.
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 Health, 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.