Encore Las Vegas to Serve as State COVID-19 Vaccination Facility

Posted on: January 14, 2021, 03:35h. 

Last updated on: January 14, 2021, 05:12h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Encore at Wynn Las Vegas will soon become a state-operated COVID-19 vaccination facility.

Encore Wynn Las Vegas COVID-19 vaccine
Wynn Las Vegas is transforming the convention space at its sister property, Encore, into a COVID-19 vaccination site. Appointments are required. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Starting Monday, January 18, the University Medical Center (UMC) will begin vaccinating Nevada residents who are eligible for the treatment under the state’s guidelines. The UMC COVID-19 Vaccination Center will initially operate Monday through Friday.

Wynn Resorts has been a leader in on-site COVID-19 testing in Southern Nevada. The casino company has operated a saliva testing lab on the premises of Wynn Las Vegas and Encore.

Now, Wynn and UMC are partnering to transform part of Encore’s convention space into a vaccination facility.

We offered Encore as a vaccination location to help facilitate vaccine distribution as quickly and efficiently as possible throughout the Las Vegas Valley,” said Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox.

“Our partnership with UMC began with our extensive onsite employee testing program. Based upon the success of that program with UMC, we look forward to hosting this critical step in our state’s economic and health recovery,” Maddox added.

The Encore COVID-19 vaccination site, UMC says, will replace its current vaccination facility, located at its UMC Delta Point Building. All vaccination appointments scheduled for January 18 or after will now occur at the Encore site.

Learn more about the vaccination center and how to schedule an appointment by clicking here.

Encore went dark midweek in October. The hotel casino is open each week on Thursday at 2 pm PT until Monday at noon.

Continued Spread, Death

Cases and deaths continue to climb throughout Nevada. A week ago today, the Silver State posted its all-time high number of new coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period, 3,402 positive tests received. Today, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) said the state experienced its highest one-day coronavirus death count.

https://twitter.com/GovSisolak/status/1349807087052750848

Despite the surge, Sisolak refused this week to reimplement more stringent restrictions on businesses. Casinos continue to operate at 25 percent occupancy. Casino.org readers had mixed but emotional feedback to the governor’s decision.

Las Vegas needs travel to resume, and that will only come once the coronavirus is better contained. Along with extending the “Pause” on the COVID-19 measures, Sisolak amended the state’s vaccination rollout.

“Our essential, frontline workers and specific high-risk populations will move in two parallel lines,” the governor explained. “Counties will move to vaccinate these two lanes concurrently in prioritized order.”

The first segments in those “lanes” are public safety and security officials, and Nevadans 70 years and older. The next segment includes “frontline community support,” and Nevadans 65- to 69-years-old.

Wynn Touts Relief Efforts

In the press release announcing the Encore vaccination site, Wynn Resorts highlighted the company’s commitment to its employees and community during the pandemic.

The casino operator reiterated that it spent a quarter of a billion dollars to make sure all of its 15,000 workers in North America continued to receive their full wages during the government-mandated shutdowns of its casinos in Nevada and Massachusetts.

Wynn Resorts also said it “procured and donated” more than $3 million worth of financial aid, personal protective equipment, food, and essential cleaning and hygiene supplies to health care facilities and nonprofit organizations in 2020.