Health District urges eligible employers to share COVID-19 vaccine info with employees

More than 2,500 local business have been invited to receive COVID-19 vaccine

March 19, 2021. Reno/Sparks, NV – The Washoe County Health District (WCHD) is asking local businesses that are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure employees have access and information to schedule a vaccine appointment.

More than 2,500 businesses in Washoe County have received information on the COVID-19 vaccine with a link to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment as of March 18, 2021. The Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce also assisted in outreach to industries. The Health District is aware of complaints from residents who said their employer did not provide information that vaccines were available.

More information on Frontline/Essential Workforce:

• Go to our searchable database on our website to see which employers are on the list to either receive COVID-19 vaccine appointment or have already received COVID-19 vaccine appointments
• Those entries shaded in green have received an invitation from Washoe County
• If your employer or business is not on the list, click the “Request To Participate”

If your employer is eligible and you have not received information on how to schedule a vaccine, please contact your employer, or email covidvaccine@washoecounty.us or call 775-328-2427. You will be required to show proof of employment when you check-in for your COVID-19 vaccine appointment at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center.

“Our goal is to offer the vaccine to every frontline/essential worker in Washoe County that is eligible per the State’s playbook,” said Kevin Dick, District Health Officer in Washoe County. “We understand that the logistical challenges with vaccinating an entire workforce, but for the health and safety of employees, especially those who work directly with the public, we urge the free flow of information and opportunity for employees who wish to receive the vaccine.”

For more information about COVID-19 in Washoe County, please see our website.

The Washoe County Health District is nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board and has jurisdiction over all public health matters in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County through the policy-making Washoe County District Board of Health. The District consists of five divisions: Administrative Health Services, Air Quality Management, Community and Clinical Health Services, Environmental Health Services and Epidemiology & Public Health Preparedness. More info can be found here.

March 18, 2021. Reno/Sparks, NV – The Regional Information Center is providing a COVID-19 vaccine community newsletter in Washoe County to help educate residents on the mass vaccination effort by the COVID-19 Response Team and community partners.

Update from the COVID-19 Response Team

Providers in Washoe County have administered 160,282 COVID-19 vaccines overall (64,791 second doses), with 19,458 happening between March 10-March 17, 2021. Visit the State of Nevada’s vaccine dashboard to see more. The Health District has opened up eligibility to the Frontline Commerce & Services Industries group, which includes bars, restaurants, hotels, casinos and resorts. See more here.

Update from Governor Sisolak

On Wednesday, March 17, Governor Sisolak announced that Nevadans ages 16 and older with underlying conditions will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting March 22 from local pharmacies in the Retail Pharmacy Program. More information will be released soon on which pharmacies and medical providers that will be.

On April 5, all Nevadans 16 and older will be eligible. Watch yesterday’s press conference here.

Here’s what this means for Washoe County:

Vaccination opportunities for these new groups will only be available through the Retail Pharmacy Program or participating healthcare providers, meaning you will need to schedule your appointment with one of the providers listed below. You will not be able to schedule an appointment prior to the dates mentioned above.

Washoe County Health District will continue to schedule appointments only for Seniors 65+ and frontline/essential workers as defined in the prioritization lanes on our website. Once we have reached the majority of these populations, we will schedule appointments for all other eligible candidates.

Retail Pharmacy Providers:

Check with each resource individually, and often. Signing up for the Washoe County waiting list does NOT mean you are also signed up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at one of these locations – these are separate appointment availabilities.

• Smith’s – Click here for more information or call 1-800-576-4377
• Walgreens – Click here for more information or call 1–800–925–4733
• Walmart – Click here for more information
• Sam’s Club – Click here for more information

The following partners are also scheduling appointments for eligible lanes with limited availability:

• Renown Health – Sign up for MyChartor call 775-982-2781
• Saint Mary’s – Call 775-770-3000
• Community Health Alliance – Click here for more information or call 775-336-3035
• VA Hospital – Click here for more information or call 775-786-7200
• Sparks Fire Department – Click here for more information

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine in Washoe County by going to our website.

What are the Underlying Health Conditions?

The Nevada State Immunization Program (NSIP) identifies the following underlying health conditions as ones which will cause a person to have an increased risk of severe illness of COVID-19:

• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease
• Chronic lung diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Down syndrome
• Heart conditions
• Anyone who is immunocompromised from an organ transplant
• Obesity
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus
• Smoking

RTC Offers Free Rides to and from COVID Vaccine Appointments

The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Washoe County is working to get transportation to those who need assistance getting to and from COVID vaccination locations. Beginning on Monday, March 22, the RTC will offer free RIDE, FlexRIDE and ACCESS trips to vacation locations. To get your free trip to any vaccination location, simply show the driver proof of your vaccine appointment when boarding. Proof can be provided by showing the driver your appointment confirmation in text, email or printed formats.

These services should not be used for drive-through vaccine appointments. For more information, please visit rtcwashoe.com, or call RTC Customer Service at (775) 348-RIDE.

B.1.1.17 Variant of COVID-19 Confirmed in Washoe County

There are currently 14 known cases of a new variant of COVID-19, known as B.1.1.17, in Washoe County. The variant in question originated in the United Kingdom and was first reported on March 12. With the new variant present, please let it serve as a reminder that we are not out of the woods with COVID-19 and that caution should continue to be taken. Even if you’ve received the vaccine, please continue to wear your masks, social distance and wash your hands. Learn more here.

For all COVID-19 Vaccine questions, please visit our regional website, www.COVID19WashoeVaccine.com.

Please share: If you know of someone who wants to receive this newsletter, pass along the link to sign up. https://covid19washoe.com/signup/

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.

20 additional COVID-19 cases, 104 recoveries reported

COVID-19 Dashboard to undergo maintenance, data will temporarily be unavailable

March 18, 2021. Reno/Sparks, NV – The Regional Information Center is reporting 20 additional COVID-19 cases and 104 recoveries in Washoe County.

Data on the COVID-19 dashboard is under maintenance for the next few days while we update data feeds. For the next several days, we will report additional COVID-19 cases, recoveries and COVID-19-related deaths but will not have the totals of those data points while the maintenance takes place. We apologize for the inconvenience.

On the COVID-19 vaccine front, there are still COVID-19 vaccine appointments available for individuals 65 years and older who were sent an email invitation on Monday, as well as those who are eligible as frontline/essential workforce.  For more, go to www.COVID19WashoeVaccine.com.

• Hospitalized with COVID-19*: 22 (+4)
• Vaccines administered in Washoe County total**: 160,282 (+0 from 3/17)
• Vaccines administered by Washoe County Health District***: 68,119 (+2,142 from 3/17)

*Data from Nevada Hospital Association includes residents from outside of Washoe County.

**This number includes first and second doses and is updated by the state of Nevada every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and can be found here under “Vaccinations” tab.

***This number is approximate and is only COVID-19 vaccines administered by the Health District. It includes first and second doses.

COVID-19 tests performed in Washoe County

• Total number of COVID-19 tests performed in Washoe County as of March 18: 395,173 (+1,240 since 3/17)

Note: These figures are provided by the State of Nevada and can be found on the State Dashboard. COVID-19 tests may include non-Washoe County residents who were tested in Washoe County.

Hospital bed and ventilator information

According to the Nevada Hospital Association, in Washoe County as of March 18:

• 63 percent staffed hospital beds are occupied (+5% since 3/17)
• 60 percent of all licensed hospital beds are occupied (+5%)
• 42 percent of all Intensive Care Unit beds are occupied (+7%)
• 18 percent of all ventilators are in use (-3%)

NOTE: Numbers are for all hospital patients in Washoe County and not just COVID-19 patients.

Need a COVID-19 test? It’s easy to sign up and it’s free

COVID-19 testing is still available at the Livestock Events Center and can be scheduled online here (en español aqui) or by calling 775-328-2427. It’s free and it does not matter if you have symptoms or not.

Sign up for the COVID Trace App

COVID Trace is a contact tracing mobile app developed by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services that uses a technology called the Exposure Notifications System from Google and Apple. The app exchanges anonymous information with other phones in your vicinity and can notify you if you’ve come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.See more here.

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.