Washoe County to Get Estimated 32,000 COVID-19 Doses When Vaccine Released |

Millions of Americans could get a COVID-19 vaccine between now and Christmas.

Two FDA meetings are scheduled this month to possibly give emergency approval for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Pfizer's vaccine was approved by the British government on Wednesday making it the first country in the world to do so.

When a vaccine is approved here in the U.S. it could be sent out to cities within 24 hours.

Washoe County Public Health Officer Kevin Dick says when a vaccine is made available to distribute, the county will align with CDC guidelines, so healthcare workers and residents of long-term facilities will get vaccinated first.

Dick says the county's first shipment will contain an estimated 32,000 doses, most likely expected to be from Pfizer, which also requires two separate doses 28 days apart.

Dick stresses that it is not uncommon for some vaccines to require two doses and warns that the general population may have to wait until next spring or summer for vaccinations to become available.

Washoe County has enough ultra-cold storage for 117,000 doses of the vaccine. The health district is working with hospitals to vaccinate their staff. CVS has a federal contract to handle vaccinations in long-term care facilities.

"While this is great news and light at the end of the tunnel, it may take us awhile to get out of the tunnel because of the large number of people that need to be vaccinated and the vaccine that's still being manufactured."

The health district is looking at using its testing site at the Reno Livestock Events Center to give the shots. Research is ongoing for how long immunity lasts.

Dick says even if you've recovered from COVID-19, you should get the vaccine because your natural immunity might not match what the shot provides.

"I know there are people that think they're bulletproof because they already had COVID-19 and I think that's very ill-advised."

Right now, Washoe County's 7-day rolling average is about 390 daily cases, but still four times higher than one month ago. Deaths total 285 and positive cases are nearing 25,460.

The state's 14-day test positivity rate is 17.6% and 16 of 17 Nevada counties (except Storey) are currently flagged for an elevated risk of transmission.

Nevada has reported an average of more than 2,100 new COVID-19 cases per day. State health officials say the increased cases are leading to more people needing extra medical care. Hospitalizations have been steadily rising since early September.