As we continue to navigate the roller coaster ride of COVID-19, we encourage our patients to complete their COVID-19 vaccinations. Nevada is not immune to national trends, and to date, in Clark County, as of September 9th, we have experienced over 307,000 cases with roughly 5,200 deaths. We have administered approximately 2.3 million vaccines with an almost 48% total vaccination rate. Roseman University, through its vaccination pods, had administered nearly 8,000 vaccines in our community.
More than 72% of people 18 years and older in Clark County have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and in the US, roughly half of the population is fully vaccinated with 63% of the adult population having received at least one dose. While white adults account for the largest share of unvaccinated adults, Black and Hispanic populations remain less likely than their White counterparts to have received a vaccine, leaving them at increased risk, especially as the variant spreads. Reaching high vaccination rates across individuals and communities will be critical in achieving broad protection, mitigating the disproportionate impacts of the virus for people of color, and preventing widening racial health disparities in the future. Globally, 5.52 billion doses have been administered, which is enough to fully vaccinate 28% of the global population.
On August 23, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its first COVID-19 vaccine known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA) for individuals 12-15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals. It is the hope that this approval will instill additional confidence in those still unvaccinated. COVID-19 vaccines protect against severe illness including disease caused by Delta and other variants circulating in the US. Nevada, in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), continues to recommend wearing a mask inside regardless of vaccination status. Those with immunocompromised systems may not build adequate immunity after the initial 2-dose primary mRNA Covid-19 vaccine series, and as such are advised to receive an additional dose. This fall, boosters may be made more widely available to individuals, those being eligible starting 8 months after they received their second dose of an mRNA vaccine (either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna).
