Nevada continues to record high numbers of COVID-19 infections, and officials expect that trend to continue in the coming weeks. The state has logged 1,680 daily new cases on a 14-day moving average and a total of 233,032 cases as of Monday.
Nevada COVID-19 response director Caleb Cage said the health taskforce remains concerned about the effects of end-of-year holiday gatherings and their impact on the health of Nevadans.
“The State is aware there were gatherings on New Year’s Eve,” said Cage. “Outside of what has been shown in the news, like every state and country, we know there were also private gatherings.”
The state remains concerned that the disease trends in near future might show a growing curve in the coming weeks.
“It is possible we may see an increase in testing numbers within the next week if people chose not to seek testing over the holiday, or because locations were limited over the holiday weekend,” said Cage.
“What we now recommend for Nevadans who were out in large crowds on New Year’s Eve and not following the public health guidance, would be to act as though you may have contracted COVID. Be extra mindful of your interactions with others in the coming days.”
“Safety is a partnership,” Cage added, echoing Gov. Steve Sisolak’s words last week.
He also recommended that Nevadans continue to do their part by masking, washing hands, and remaining socially distant.
Disease in all counties
All Nevada counties, with the exception of Storey, remain flagged for an elevated rate of disease transmission. All counties are flagged with a high case rate, greater than 200, as well.
All counties are flagged with a high test positivity rate, except Eureka which has recorded a test positivity rate of less than 8%.
Eureka and Lincoln counties were both flagged with a low average number of tests per day per 100,000. These counties tested fewer than 100 people per day, which can explain the low test positivity rate.
The state has completed a total of 2,140,442 molecular tests since the beginning of COVID-19.The test positivity rate over the last 14 days is 20% all over the state.
The Nevada Hospital Association reported that there are currently 1,879 COVID-19 hospitalizations (1,738 confirmed; 141 suspected).
New website for COVID-19 vaccination
The state recently put together helpful information on COVID-19 vaccination on a new website.
The website covers a range of issues including answers to general questions such as why one should get the vaccine, how to get the vaccine, resources for businesses, and other important COVID-19 vaccine-related FAQ.
