Hundreds of residents were vaccinated for COVID-19 at the Evelyn Mount Community Center on Saturday in an event promoted by the Consulate of Mexico in Las Vegas. Consul Julián Escutia Rodríguez and his team worked with the City of Reno and Reno Fire Department to host the event to encourage vaccination among the region’s Latino community.
Prior to the pandemic, the consul made regular visits to Reno but has been unable to do so during COVID-19 restrictions. This Mobile Consulate event, scheduled for April 24 and 25, included appointments with the consul’s team along with a COVID-19 vaccine clinic with no appointment necessary.
Escutia Rodríguez said immigration concerns were among the reasons why some people have been hesitant to seek out the vaccine. Misinformation has also been a serious issue, he said, and giving people correct and honest information was also important.
Translators were on hand to help people through the vaccine process.
There was a brief incident where a man fainted while in the monitoring area after receiving the vaccine. Medical staff was quick to aid the man and it was discovered that the cause of his fainting was unrelated to the vaccine.
While the Janssen vaccine is once again approved for use, it was not used at this event. The Moderna vaccine was administered, and vaccine recipients will return for a second event in late May. The two-day event could vaccinate up to 1,000 people.
