Vaccine sites begin taking 65+ walk-ins as pharmacies gear up
Vaccination sites at Cashman Center and Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas began accepting some walk-ins 65 and older on Thursday to receive a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The move came a day after Gov. Steve Sisolak’s announcement Wednesday of vaccine eligibility for the 65-to-69 age group, which highlighted a state effort with partner pharmacies.
Five hundred walk-in slots were available Thursday — and will be again Friday and Saturday — at Cashman Center, 850 Las Vegas Blvd. North, Exhibit Hall B, in downtown Las Vegas. Walk-ins will be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. and taken until the clinic reaches capacity, the Southern Nevada Health District said in a news release.
Walk-ins for second doses of Pfizer vaccine also will be available through Saturday at Cashman for those who received their first dose at a health district or community partner clinics — Western High School, Cashman Center or Mack Middle School — or events hosted by the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson or Touro University.
At Desert Pines, 3800 E. Harris Ave., 300 walk-in-slots were available for first doses Thursday and will be again beginning at 9 a.m. Friday. Doses will be given until the clinic reaches capacity.
In addition, walk-ins for Pfizer second-dose vaccine were available Thursday and will be again Friday at the Desert Pines site for those who received their first dose at a health district or community partner clinic.
The recommended interval between the first and second doses of Pfizer vaccine is three weeks. The interval for the Moderna vaccine is four weeks. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that up to six weeks is acceptable for both vaccine types.
People who received their first dose of the Moderna vaccine and had their appointments rescheduled this week due to because of weather-related shipment delays will still receive their second doses within the recommended time frames, according to the district.
People with questions or who need assistance making appointments can call the COVID-19 helpline at 800-401-0946. The line is staffed seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Additional sites for 65+
Other sites also are lowering their age requirements after the governor’s announcement.
University Medical Center announced Thursday that the hospital’s COVID-19 Vaccination Center at Encore has lowered its age requirement for vaccinations to 65. The site will also continue to provide vaccinations for first responders and health care workers.
Community members 65 and older can schedule their vaccination appointments by visiting www.umcsn.com/COVIDvaccine or calling 702-789-5160. Appointments are required.
Smith’s, Walgreens and Walmart/Sam’s Club will begin to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations next week for Nevadans in the 65-to-69 age group in Clark County under the plan outlined by Sisolak.
“All the pharmacies currently offering vaccines in Clark County will move to this age range next week and appointments will begin to open up as allocation is confirmed and received,” Shannon Litz, a spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, said in an email.
Nonprofit Immunize Nevada’s website lists the following links to schedule online appointments:
— Smith’s: https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/rx/guest/get-vaccinated.
— Walgreens: www.walgreens.com/schedulevaccine.
— Walmart/Sam’s Club: https://www.walmart.com/cp/1228302.
For more information on the immunization plan for Clark County, visit https://www.immunizenevada.org/county-specific-covid-19-vaccine-plan.
Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MaryHynes1 on Twitter.