COVID-19 cases surge in Nevada as federal government prepares to send help

Coronavirus cases are surging in Nevada as the federal government is preparing to send help to the state for vaccination efforts.

The state’s average new cases a day, hospitalizations and positivity rate are all at their highest levels since February as almost half of the state’s population who qualify for the vaccine have not received it, state health officials said Thursday, The Associated Press reported.

The 14-day average for new COVID-19 cases daily is up to 517 per day. Average hospitalizations over the past two weeks is at 705 per day, and the positivity rate is up to 10.9 percent.

The Nevada Health Association said the reason for the outbreak, which is taken part in the unvaccinated population, is that those people are not wearing masks or social distancing.

“Individuals are not following CDC guidelines related to mask wearing for unvaccinated persons or maintaining social distancing in crowded indoor locations,” the Nevada Hospital Association said.

At the current rate, the state won’t reach 70 percent of its population vaccinated until December, the AP noted.

Jeff Zients, the head of the White House’s coronavirus task force, said Friday the federal government is deploying 100 people to Nevada to “help enhance vaccine access and support vaccine outreach efforts.”

Candice McDaniel, deputy director of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Service, said 2 percent of residents in Nevada got their shot last week, beating the national average for the week, according to the AP.

States with a big portion of their population unvaccinated have seen an uptick in cases as the delta variant makes its way throughout the country.

Southern Nevada Health District is responding to the rise in cases in their area by recommending vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces. 

“With the rise in cases and slowing vaccine rates in Clark County, the Health District’s recommendation to wear masks in crowded public settings, including grocery stores, malls, large events, and casinos, is a step to fully utilize the tools we have available to stop the pandemic,” their statement reads.