Haven Daley / AP
A sign is shown at a COVID-19 vaccine site in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco, Monday, Feb. 8, 2021.
Published Wednesday, March 17, 2021 | 5 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, March 17, 2021 | 6:26 p.m.
CARSON CITY — The rollout of the coronavirus vaccine in Nevada will hit a significant milestone in early April: All Nevadans ages 16 and under will be eligible to be vaccinated starting April 5.
“This vaccination campaign is essential to getting our country and state back to normal, so that we can all hug our families, continue getting Nevadans back to work, go to restaurants, send our kids to school, play sports and get together again. And as always, mask up, practice safe social distancing and wash your hands frequently,” Sisolak said. “The end is in sight, Nevada — we can do this.”
The timeline will be even faster for those with underlying health conditions, such as cancer or heart disease, as residents 16 and older with an underlying health condition will qualify March 22.
Sisolak’s office expects the availability of appointments to initially be limited.
“The state team is working with our local partners to ensure we’re putting as many doses as possible into arms every day,” Sisolak said. “We know more funding for this type of work is on the way from the federal government thanks to the American Rescue Plan, and we will continue to scale up these efforts as that funding comes into the state.”
The mammoth American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this month, sent billions into vaccine distribution and education pipelines, including $7.5 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection for vaccine distribution.
Nevada will join Mississippi and Alaska as states to have opened vaccinations for all residents. President Joe Biden has directed states to have the vaccine available by May 1.
As of Wednesday, 11.5% of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated and almost 988,000 doses have been distributed. Most versions of the vaccine require two doses to be fully vaccinated.
As of Wednesday, the 14-day moving average of new cases in the state was 216, down from a high of 2,719 on Dec. 11.
“The reality is that every vaccine administered is one more teacher who feels safe in the classroom, one more nurse who is protected as they treat patients, one more grandma or grandpa who will be able to hug their family members again, and one more front-line worker who will be safe on the job,” Sisolak said.
Sisolak touted the uptick in vaccines being sent into the state — 64,610 first doses arrived in Nevada the week of March 8. The state’s first allocation was only 17,500 doses.
Capacity restrictions on most businesses returned to 50% on Monday, and local authorities will begin to take control over some mitigation efforts on May 1. But the state will continue to require residents wear a mask.
