Federal help arrived this week to assist Carson City Health and Human Services with its vaccination program in the Quad County region.
Ten workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and another 10 employees of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are in Carson City for two weeks to a month or more to help with data entry and administering vaccines.
“The HHS team assisted Monday and Wednesday and told us we have a really smooth running operation,” Jeanne Freeman, public health preparedness manager, CCHHS, told the Board of Supervisors on Thursday.
CCHHS is currently administering vaccines to residents who are 70 years old or older and to public safety personnel and educators at drive-through events held at Carson High School and elsewhere and increasingly inside at venues such as the exhibit hall at Fuji Park.
As of Tuesday, the department had administered 8,704 vaccines, consisting of 7,613 first doses and 1,091 second doses.
CCHHS still has one problem: its online scheduling system, which works but is sending out an erroneous message confusing people.
The problem arises because CCHHS can only book appointments on a weekly basis. The department’s allocation of vaccine doses varies each week, averaging 1,000 per week, and staff doesn’t know the exact number of doses for the upcoming week until the Thursday before. Once they know, appointments for the next week are opened and can be scheduled online. But, as soon as the schedule is booked, the system has no more appointments to offer and sends out a message saying no more appointments are available until June, which is incorrect. Appointments open up again each week and users need to check on Thursday and Friday.
“I think it is important for everyone to know that appointments are added weekly as we receive our vaccine allocation. This is to ensure that the number of appointments we open is proportionate to the number of doses we receive. We cannot open events and appointments too far in advance since we do not know our confirmed allocation amount until the week prior,” said Jessica Rapp, public information officer, CCHHS.
CCHHS is also working with local senior centers that can assist seniors in making appointments.
Vaccines are also now available from Walgreen’s and Smith’s in Carson City and Douglas and Lyon counties, and soon in Raley’s in Lyon County, for residents of the county where the store is located. Carson Medical Group is also vaccinating its patients in the Quad County area, which includes Storey County.
Carson Tahoe Medical Group is not offering community vaccinations, according to Erin Meyering, manager, marketing & communications at Carson Tahoe Health. But, the hospital has given 1,589 first doses, and is working through second doses, to about 64 percent of its staff.
The statewide vaccine program is working on two tracks, vaccinating categories of residents and the workforce simultaneously.
“We understand that everyone is anxiously awaiting their turn to receive the vaccine and we wish we could open it up to all of our community but vaccine supply is limited and that is why we must follow the priority lanes and groups,” said Rapp. “If you are not eligible yet to receive the vaccine and you schedule an appointment, you will be turned away. Ineligible individuals scheduling appointments take that appointment away from someone who is eligible and ultimately prolongs the time it takes to progress.”
For the general population, the next tier will be individuals aged 65 to 69, followed by individuals 16-64 years old with underlying conditions, individuals with disabilities, and homeless adults. The final tier is healthy individuals aged 16-64.
The next workforce category, which is a huge group, according to Freeman, is “frontline workers who support food, shelter, court/legal services, and social services, and other necessities of life for needy groups and individuals.”
Carson City, and other jurisdictions and vaccine providers, are told by the State Immunization Program when to move on to the next tier, and there is no set timeline for when vaccinations will be available for the next groups to receive it.Vaccine Options
Currently, residents 70 years old or older are eligible for vaccines. All vaccines are free.
— For Carson City Health and Human Services online schedule: https://booking.appointy.com/en-US/immunizenevada/bookings/service?st=458106
— For Smith’s: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/rx/guest/get-vaccinated
— For Walgreens: https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19
— For Carson Medical Group patients in Carson City, and Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties only: To be put on a waiting list, contact CMG either through the Patient Portal, the Healow app, by email at contactus@cmgnv.com or by each practice’s phone available at https://www.carsonmedicalgroup.com/contact/.
— For assistance:
COVID hotline: (775) 434-1988
Carson City Senior Center: 775-883-0703
Douglas County Senior Center: 775-782-5500 ext. 3
Storey County Senior Center: 775-847-0957
Healthy Communities Coalition: 775-246-7834
— For general information: https://gethealthycarsoncity.org/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccine/
