Lyon County could have as many as 2,000 COVID-19 vaccines on hand for clinics next week.
Lyon County Public Health Incident Commander Renee Hively says the state is sending 600 Moderna vaccines next week. It’s also sending 1,400 Johnson & Johnson doses in a push to get through Phase 2 and start Phase 3 vaccinations as soon as possible. Hively tells KVOE News the increased vaccine supply will certainly help.
Lyon County has been concentrating on vaccinating seniors, high-contact critical workers, food production workers, K-12 staff and daycare providers. Phase 3 includes critical workers and people ages 16-64 with severe medical risks.
Hively’s comments come after President Joe Biden said he wants all American adults vaccinated by the end of May — and eligible for COVID-19 shots by the start of May — as part of a national address Thursday night. Biden, who also signed a $1.9 trillion relief package before the speech, predicts more normal operations across the country by the Fourth of July if people continue mitigation strategies like mask use and social distancing.
Friday afternoon, Public Health announced plans to increase vaccine availability to all phase two eligible individuals. This includes phase 1 workers, persons aged 65 and older, K-12 school employees and childcare workers, food processing plant workers, those in a congregate setting and home caregivers.
Public Health has also added transportation workers, higher education employees, DMV and USPS workers, grocery store workers, restaurant and foodservice employees, and retail employees to the list of phase two eligible residents.
Public Health will move to a self-scheduling platform Monday with appointment availability opening at 10 am. To schedule an appointment, please visit https://publichealth.lyoncounty.org/covid-vaccine-dashboard.
Hively will have more information on the ongoing vaccination effort as part of KVOE’s Vaccination Briefing at 8:20 am Monday on KVOE and KVOE.com.
