Long lines for second doses of COVID-19 vaccines snaked outside the Las Vegas Convention Center on Thursday, largely due to the high number of people seeking immediate consultations, said the Southern Nevada Health District.
The line of people waiting for injections stretched to the parking lot outside the clinic reserved for second doses.
It was the second consecutive day of long lines outside the center. Health district officials blamed Wednesday’s reinforcement on “technical issues” at the site.
“It slowed things down a bit,” JoAnn Rupiper, director of clinical services for the health district, told a news conference. “And we had to go to the role, which makes things even slower. Therefore, we must return to operations tomorrow (Thursday). “
The district opened the clinic for visits last week for those who received their first dose of Moderna vaccine, but were unable to schedule an appointment for the second dose through its online scheduling portal, which was practically unavailable for several due to the high demand .
The health district announced on Wednesday that the convention center will begin offering second doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week.
Walk-ins appointments are only available to those who have exceeded the waiting periods required for the second application – 28 days for the Modern vaccine and 21 days for the Pfizer version.
A sign at the convention center on Thursday warned people that calls were no longer available.
“We have absolutely enough vaccine,” said health district spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore in an email response to questions about the line. “As we have already stated from the beginning, care is provided according to the capacity of the clinic. They have reached maximum capacity and no more walk-ins are allowed for today. “
When direct consultations started last week, some people were refused because they arrived at the site days before, but there were no long lines for those who had an appointment.
The site is being visited from 8:30 am to 2 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, when doses are available, the health district said.
The district will accept only visitors who receive their first doses at these locations or events: the district health offices at Decatur Boulevard, Cashman Center, Western High School, Jerome Mack Middle School and vaccination clinics hosted in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Touro University.
The vaccination site of the convention center is in area C-1 of the facility’s Central Hall. Parking is available at Paradise Road and Convention Center Drive.
Consultations for the second dose, when available, can be scheduled at https://covid.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/vaccine/second-dose/.
People with questions or who need help making an appointment can call the health district at 702-759-1900. The line is open during business hours, Monday to Friday, from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Contact Katelyn Newberg at [email protected] or 702-383-0240. follow @k_newberg on twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Mary Hynes contributed to this report.