Short waits as Nevada vaccine eligibility expands

Young and healthy Nevadans lined up Monday to get first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine alongside those in other groups as eligibility in the state expanded to all but children.

The COVID-19 vaccination site at UNLV’s student union said it was experiencing its busiest day to date on the day vaccination eligibility expanded across the state to everyone 16 and older.

By 10:30 a.m., the site had administered 750 doses of vaccine, with 2,200 appointments scheduled for the date — the capacity for the site, said Dr. Michael Gardner, president and CEO of UNLV Medicine, the clinical practice of the university’s School of Medicine.

A line 50 strong of people formed in front of the student union by mid-morning. Once inside, people waited in a second shorter line to register, with the entire process generally taking less than an hour.

Opening up to the community at large “feels terrific,” Gardner said.

Concern about ‘vaccine hesitancy’

“The thing that keeps me up at night is the vaccine hesitancy,” he said. “Are there going to be a lot of people who want the vaccine?

“So I’m hoping that as more and more people get the vaccine, as people see their friends and neighbors getting the vaccine and not hearing about any bad side effects — or whatever those concerns may be — the more and more people will sign on and get their vaccine.”

Monday morning, appointments were still available for slots as soon as Wednesday.

Things were not quite as busy at the Southern Nevada Health District offices on Decatur Avenue in Las Vegas, with those with appointments to get a shot encountering a wait of about 15 minutes at midmorning.

Isabella D’Angelo, a 17-year-old student at Del Sol High School, waited in line with her mom, Tracey, a first-grade teacher who’s already been vaccinated. The younger D’Angelo will return to in-person learning on Thursday and wanted to get her first shot before she goes back to school.

“It’s been really hard academically. It’s been really stressful, but I tried to maintain good grades because I’m going to college,” she said.

D’Angelo, who received a first shot of Pfizer vaccine — the only one available for 16- and 17-year-olds — said most of her friends hadn’t known they were now eligible for the vaccine, so she’s been encouraging them to make an appointment when they can.

Off to England

Myra Muntean, 37, made her appointment last week and showed up well in advance of her time slot, expecting the large new tier’s eligibility to create long lines. But before 9 a.m., lines never grew beyond 25 or 30 people.

“I’ll feel safer knowing that I can travel internationally,” she said. “Last year was difficult not being able to go out of the country and take a vacation. So, knowing that for the countries I’m trying to enter, I’ve got the vaccine and hopefully it’ll make it easier and safer for me and everyone else around me.”

Her first stop? England.

The vaccination clinic at Wynn’s Encore resort on the Strip was quiet about 8:30 a.m., with just a trickle of people being ushered into the Brahms Ballroom to get their shots.

Arrivals were greeted by a security officer at entry to the ballroom area who asked if they were getting their first or second shot. Depending on their answer they were directed to a specific line.

Only about 10 people were seen arriving for their shot during a 30-minute period starting at 8 a.m. The guard, who declined to give his name, said there was a bit of a line when the doors opened at 7 a.m.

University Medical Center said the news media was not allowed on site without prior consent forms being filled out by every person getting a shot at the clinic.

All online appointments for Monday were gone before the first day of eligibility, a contrast from the situation in early March when thousands of vaccine appointments were going unfilled.

Nevada joins more than 20 other states offering the once hard-to-find doses to all residents 16 and older. Alaska was the first to eliminate requirements on March 9.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Mary Hynes at [email protected] or 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on Twitter. Contact Jonah Dylan at [email protected]. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Glenn Puit contributed to this report.