COVID-19 vaccine rollout underway at Nevada prisons
CARSON CITY — The first Department of Corrections offenders were vaccinated this week at facilities statewide.
“We are pleased to get this effort under way,” said Deputy Director William Quenga. “Keeping our staff and offenders healthy and safe is our top priority.”
Following Nevada’s COVID-19 Vaccine Playbook, offenders age 65 and older are eligible to receive the vaccine in all Nevada counties. By Thursday afternoon, a third of the eligible offenders who requested to be vaccinated had received their first dose.
At Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City, 44 offenders received the Moderna vaccine Thursday, and more clinics are scheduled throughout the month.
In all, 46 percent of the 10,866 offenders statewide signed up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
“I’m very happy,” said an 80-year-old offender, with no pre-existing health conditions. “We got all this virus going around, so I need it. I don’t want to chance nothing.”
Another offender, 73, said his time in the medical field showed him he could trust vaccines.
“I have underlying conditions,” he said. “I’m not ready to leave this world. But I’m not just doing this to protect myself, I want to protect others around me.”
The Nevada Department of Corrections is committed to building a safer community by striving to incorporate progressive best practices in all aspects of corrections. NDOC houses more than 12,000 persons with felony convictions in 18 facilities statewide. For more information visit www.doc.nv.gov.
NDOC will continue to follow the State’s Vaccine Playbook as vaccine becomes available to more population groups. Offenders are vaccinated following the same prioritization as the general public and Department staff are part of the Safety and Security essential workforce group.