Thread by @GovSisolak

I wanted to provide you a few important updates as we prepare for 2021. Today, I am pleased to once again be joined by Shannon Bennett, from the State’s immunization program. You can view the live stream of my updates here:

As we have said from the start, this is a dynamic and fluid situation & we learn more and more from the federal government each day about this vaccine rollout

I am proud to report that as of Tuesday 25,636 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered & reported to NV Web-IZ

So far, we have seen smooth deliveries, with a successful rollout of the complex process to redistribute vaccine doses across our great state, and our local health districts and hospitals immediately went to work on lining up their folks to get the vaccine.

I’m proud of our team working closely with the federal govt & pharmacy partners to allocate vaccines to long-term care & skilled nursing facilities in the 1st week.

Like so much else, this rollout is unprecedented:
2 vaccines that require 2 doses;
More vaccines are being developed now;
Mass distribution on a scale never before done in our history...

all while managing a surge & working to meet the demand for critical services...

I am so proud of our #BattleBorn team, but NV & states across the country, are stretched thin. States have been on the front lines of the pandemic for 10 months but this is a national crisis that demands a unified national strategy. I’m hopeful we’re heading in that direction.

I was pleased to see that the latest stimulus package includes more federal funding for the ongoing vaccination rollout and I was pleased to see President-elect Joe Biden pledge to provide more support on the vaccine efforts when he comes into office.

Now onto vaccination updates from Shannon Bennett who serves as the Immunization Program Manager in the Division of Public and Behavioral Health...

As of Tuesday, more than 20,000 doses of Pfizer and almost 5,000 doses of Moderna vaccine have been administered and reported to NV WebIZ.

The process is going well and we remain in close contact with all Nevada counties as the first doses are received and administered.

This week we ordered the 2nd dose of the vaccine to be delivered next week & administered to those who were the first to be immunized in our state. Going forward we will work with vaccinators to ensure the 2nd dose is ordered for every dose administered.

Each week Nevada receives an allocation of COVID-19 vaccine from the federal government. Staff assess the allocation against the need in each county & work directly with the counties & local health authorities to determine equitable orders for each county for the upcoming week.

Using available federal guidance, the program has worked hard to develop a Playbook that is specific to our state and weighs our vulnerable populations, ethical considerations, unique workforce needs, geography and concerns from partners and stakeholders.

We will continue to apply a data-driven approach to vaccine allocation and work with counties to ensure the Playbook and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations are being followed for priority populations to be vaccinated.

As more doses of the vaccine are received in Nevada and distributed to counties, some regions of the state may move into the next Tier sooner than others, based on factors such as population size and vaccine demand within the Tier group.

As we work through the first Tier of vaccination, Nevada’s medical workforce are able to receive the vaccine and our pharmacy partners are working to vaccinate staff and residents in Nevada's long term care facilities.

Here are the decisions that have been made as of today: NV's tiered structure has been updated to include prioritization of people 75 years and older in Tier 2, or what the CDC refers to as Phase 1B.

The list of Tier 2 frontline essential workers will not vary greatly from the current playbook, but further updates will be provided in the full roll out upon final review and conversations with stakeholders.

Additionally, those 65 to 74 years and people with underlying health conditions will be vaccinated in Tier 3 alongside Nevada’s second group of essential workers...

Similar to Tier 2, the essential workers in Tier 3 will largely remain the same as those listed in the current playbook, with some adjustments that will be provided to the public in the full rollout.

This playbook is a guide as the vaccination rollout progresses across the U.S. We continue to work with organizations statewide to provide information on the Tiers and prioritization of those unable to work from home & those most likely to come in contact with COVID-19 patients

It’s important for Nevadans to know that during the time period when COVID vaccines are limited, the allocation is based on scientific data, key ethical principles, federal recommendations, and our unique implementation challenges.

Above all else, our state playbook is designed to mitigate as much disease spread and loss of life as possible.

I know Nevadans will continue to have questions related to vaccine distribution and our goal is to provide updates as frequently as possible. We’re working on some exciting new ways to communicate this information to you and look forward to rolling those out.

I want to remind Nevadans that while we are working on distributing vaccines as fast as we can, COVID-19 is still very much with us, and we must all take the proper mitigation measures to slow the spread of this virus.

Please, stay home if you can, especially if you feel sick. Wear your mask at all times when around people not in your household, avoid large crowds and practice social distancing. Wash your hands frequently.

Vaccinations are already being distributed, but it will take time to get to the point of full-scale vaccination of all residents. Until then, we must double down on staying safe to make it through -- this is the way we come back stronger and recover faster in 2021.

I know people want to celebrate the end of 2020, and I don't blame them, but if we don't make smart choices now, the start of 2021 will look and feel a lot more like 2020 than any of us want.

I am counting on responsible resort, restaurant, and business owners to strictly follow the State's directives. And, I strongly urge anyone in a public setting to follow all of our life-saving guidelines.

If you're considering going out, I urge you to reconsider and think of Nevada's healthcare workers who will be caring for COVID-19 patients -- our family members and neighbors -- who are struggling to breathe and make it through the night.

They have been providing this care under the most difficult of circumstances for 10 months and they are asking for our help. Have their backs the way they have ours -- celebrate New Year's virtually at home with your household members.

NV is currently ranked 8th nationally in new cases per 100k; 2nd nationally in test positivity rate & 17th in admissions per 100 hospital beds.

This is serious. We don’t need to look far to see what it looks like when hospitals are overwhelmed. We must prevent that in NV.

So please adhere to the recommendations we received from the White House COVID Task Force this week:
"If you are over 65 or with significant health conditions, you should not enter any indoor public spaces where anyone is unmasked due to the risk to your health"...

"All states with continued increases – that includes us – must continue with strict public mitigation and continued restrictions"

The current restrictions under the Statewide "pause," which impose strict limits on capacity and gathering sizes, are still in place and there are no exceptions for these mitigation requirements on NYE. COVID-19 is not going to take the night off to ring in the new year

I am asking all individuals to avoid large gatherings, our workers to practice all precautions, our businesses and local governments to enforce all the rules, and that our visitors respect our efforts to keep you and our employees safe.

The state enforcement authorities will be out in force on NYE to ensure measures are being followed -- including the Gaming Control Board.

Let’s all do the best we can to protect ourselves & each other, because I believe 2021 will be Nevada’s greatest comeback story ever, & I want all Nevadans to be a part of it. I’m confident we’ll have many great reasons to have the greatest New Year celebration ever, next Jan 1.