The State Board of Health unanimously voted during an emergency meeting Aug. 20 to require NSHE students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Afterward, Board of Regents Chair Cathy McAdoo and NSHE Chancellor Melody Rose released the following joint statement:
We want to thank the Board of Regents and the many students, faculty and staff who took the time to observe and participate in todays State Board of Health meeting. We have a shared commitment to our collective health and safety.
We also want to thank the medical and health experts on the State Board of Health for convening to discuss matters of public health for the Nevada System of Higher Education. We will faithfully move forward with implementing the new guidelines approved at todays meeting within the suggested time frame.
As part of NSHEs return to in-person learning, each institution is working with their local medical leaders and health districts to regularly host free COVID-19 vaccination clinics on campus, as capacity allows, throughout the fall semester.
In the meantime, the current mask mandate remains in place as an additional form of protection for our community.
The health and wellbeing of Nevadas public higher education community and the safe return to in person learning for NSHEs students, faculty, and staff continues to be our highest priority.
After the recent mandate from the State Board of Health that students in NSHE must be vaccinated, Western Nevada College is arranging free COVID-19 walk-in vaccination clinics in September and October. Note that the vaccine mandate applies to any student enrolling after November 1. It does not apply to currently enrolled students for fall semester. Students continuing their education into spring semester will be required to be vaccinated as well.
The first clinic is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. on Sept. 17 in WNCs Reynolds Building Rooms 101 and 102. Vaccines are offered for first and second doses in a walk-in format.
A second clinic, which will also include the flu vaccine, is set for Oct. 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the same location: Reynolds Rooms 101 and 102.
As a reference for students and their families, the Pfizer vaccine is recommended for age 12 and older and the Janssen and Moderna vaccines are for age 18 and older.
For more information, phone the Quad-County COVID-19 Hotline at 775-434-1988.