This week, the Southern Nevada Health District is reporting 8,355 Clark County residents have died from COVID-19, an increase of 185. Of those deaths, 178 are the result of a reporting backlog and comprehensive data review by staff.

This week, the Southern Nevada Health District is reporting 8,180 Clark County residents have died from COVID-19, an increase of 356. Of those deaths, 306 are the result of a reporting backlog and comprehensive data review by staff. The review included performing a data linkage between cases reported in the system and death certificate data. The breakdown of the backlog by date of death is included below: 

As of April 4, a total of 499,121 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Clark County. A total of 7,825 Clark County residents have died from COVID-19. The full report is available at www.snhd.info/covid-data. The Health District is updating its reporting to include reinfections in case counts; however, due to a change in methodology, this week’s update does not include reinfections. Cases that will be counted as reinfections are individuals who test positive more than 90 days after their initial infection.

Second COVID-19 booster doses are now available for people 50 and older and people 12 and older who are immunocompromised at Southern Nevada Health District vaccination clinics. Second boosters were authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its recommendation for certain immunocompromised individuals and people over the age of 50 who received an initial booster dose at least four months previously.

Today, the Southern Nevada Health District, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) and Desert Research Institute (DRI) announced a partnership to detect  early increases of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) and emerging variants in Southern Nevada through wastewater surveillance. The data will be available on a new dashboard that will be updated weekly at www.snhd.info/covid-data. 

The Southern Nevada Health District’s COVID-19 dashboard is updated on a weekly basis beginning today, Wednesday, March 16. The Health District’s weekly update will now include the 7-day average of probable cases and the Risk Metrics section will reflect additional surveillance data based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new community level transmission guidelines. The weekly dashboard will continue to include total confirmed cases, MIS-C cases, total hospitalizations and deaths as well as the number of cases reported in the past seven days. Additionally, the Health District’s trends, aggregate reports, maps, breakthrough case, and city reports will be posted weekly.

COVID-19 metrics have continued to steadily decline in Clark County, and the Southern Nevada Health District will begin updating its dashboard on a weekly basis. The last daily update to the dashboard will occur on Friday, March 11. The Health District’s COVID-19 dashboard, aggregate and trend reports will be updated and posted each Wednesday, beginning March 16.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its framework for monitoring the level of COVID-19 in communities. The new recommendations are focused on minimizing severe disease, limiting strain on the health care system, and enabling those at highest risk to protect themselves against infection and severe disease.

The drive-thru site at Texas Station, 101 Texas Star Lane off Rancho Drive, last day of operation is Sunday, February 20. To date, the site has administered more than 15,400 tests. Drive-thru testing site appointments can be made on the eTrueNorth website at www.INeedaCOVID19Test.com. People who do not have access to a computer or who have difficulty making their appointments or accessing their test results can call eTrueNorth for assistance at (1-800) 635-8611. Drive-ups are accepted at this location.

Nevada’s mask mandate was lifted on Thursday, February 10. While masks are no longer required in public indoor places, the Health District continues to encourage people to use all the tools they have available to protect themselves and others while disease transmission remains high in the community. Everyone should get fully vaccinated, get a booster when eligible, and stay home when they are sick. While there is no longer a mask mandate in place, masks are proven to be effective at protecting people and lowering the risk of disease transmission. We encourage people to wear well-fitting masks in public indoor spaces for additional protection while disease transmission is high, especially if they are unvaccinated or more at-risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

In Clark County, COVID-19 cases and disease metrics continue to trend down. This is encouraging news for our community but disease transmission remains high, and the Southern Nevada Health District encourages people to continue to use all the tools they have available to protect themselves and others. Everyone should get fully vaccinated, get a booster when eligible, and stay home when they are sick. While there is no longer a mask mandate in place, masks are proven to be effective at protecting people and lowering the risk of disease transmission. We encourage people to wear well-fitting masks in public indoor spaces for additional protection while disease transmission is high, especially if they are unvaccinated or more at-risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

The Southern Nevada Health District recently added a feature to its COVID-19  testing calendar. People can now see the number of appointments available at many Health District clinics when they visit the site to make an appointment or view the clinic listings.

The Southern Nevada Health District confirmed the first reported case of COVID-19 caused by the BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron variant. The Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory tested the specimen and is continuing to provide genome sequencing of a sampling of positive COVID-19 cases to determine the presence of variants in the community.

Last week, the Southern Nevada Health District received 120 treatment courses of the COVID-19 medication, Paxlovid and began offering the treatment to patients who test positive, are symptomatic, over the age of 65, and meet the criteria for taking the medication. Today, accessibility to treatment is being expanded to include people 12 to 64 years of age with a positive COVID-19 test who are at higher risk for severe illness. People in this group must also have symptoms of COVID-19, and those symptoms must have started within the last five days. A complete list of conditions included in the criteria is available on the Health District’s website at www.snhd.info/paxlovid.

The Southern Nevada Health District has received 120 treatment courses of the COVID-19 medication, PAXLOVID. This will enable the Health District to provide treatment to 120 individuals. The Health District will order additional courses of treatment when supplies become available. Due to limited supplies, initially this treatment will be offered to preferable patients who arrive at the Health District’s testing site who are symptomatic, have a COVID-19 positive test, and are over the age of 65. This treatment is an option that can be offered to people early in their infection to prevent complications and deaths.

Due to increased testing demands, the Southern Nevada Health District and Clark County will open a second drive thru testing location at Fiesta Henderson, 777 W. Lake Mead Parkway. The site opens at 3 p.m., Saturday, January 15 and will operate in the property’s parking garage. The Fiesta Henderson testing site will operate Saturday through Wednesday between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. by appointment. This location will be open on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 17. Drive ups will not be accepted.

Today, the Southern Nevada Health District is announcing the highest number of COVID-19 cases reported in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. As of January 7,  there have been 392,971 cases of COVID-19 reported in Clark County, an increase of 6,110 cases over the previous day. In addition, the Health District is reporting 15 deaths. COVID-19 information is updated on the Health District’s Dashboard daily http://covid.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/cases/  and  reports are posted Monday through Friday and are available at https://covid.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/cases/reports/.    

Due to increased testing demand, the Southern Nevada Health District and its partners have added additional locations and expanded testing operating hours at its three College of Southern Nevada sites. Beginning next week, six additional mobile testing units will be operational. Registration for these locations will be available on the Health District’s testing information page: www.snhd.info/covid-testing. Appointments are recommended.

The Southern Nevada Health District reminds everyone that COVID-19 testing is available at locations throughout the community. People seeking testing should visit one of the many community sites rather than visiting a hospital emergency department for testing. The Health District recently expanded its testing site hours at three College of Southern Nevada locations and mobile testing units and kiosks are scheduled for local libraries and community centers. For a complete list of testing sites, visit: www.snhd.info/covid-testing.

Today, the Southern Nevada Health District is announcing the highest number of COVID-19 cases reported in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. As of December 30, there have been 369,414 cases of COVID-19 reported in Clark County, an increase of 3,363 cases over the previous day. The Health District is also reporting the seven-day moving average of 1,306 new positive cases as of December 27. No new deaths were reported. The full report is available at https://covid.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/cases/reports/.  

Today, the Health District is reporting a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the community. As of December 28, there have been 363,685 cases of COVID-19 reported in Clark County, an increase of 2,201 cases over the previous day. The Health District is also reporting the seven-day moving average of 825 new positive cases as of December 25. A total of 6,451 Clark County residents have died from COVID-19.

The Southern Nevada Health District confirmed the state’s first reported case of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant on December 14. The individual who tested positive is a fully vaccinated female in her mid-20s who did not receive a booster dose of the vaccine. The individual traveled out of the country during the incubation period. Upon return, she had symptoms consistent with COVID-19.  She is not hospitalized and is isolating. Part of the Health District’s investigation includes identifying contacts of the case and making the appropriate recommendations for testing and quarantine.

The Southern Nevada Health District today confirmed the state’s first case of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant. The Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory tested the specimen and is continuing to provide genome sequencing for positive COVID-19 cases to determine the presence of variants in the community.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has strengthened its booster dose recommendations to include people age 16 and 17 if they completed their initial Pfizer BioNTech vaccine series at least six months ago. The CDC now recommends booster doses for everyone age 16 and older. Adolescent booster doses are available at Southern Nevada Health District clinics.

The Southern Nevada Health District conducts ongoing surveillance for variants. To date, no cases of the Omicron variant have been reported in Clark County. The most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and its variants is to get vaccinated, get a booster when eligible, wear a mask in public indoor settings, practice good hand hygiene, and for people to stay home and get tested if they are sick or have symptoms of COVID-19 or have had contact with a confirmed or suspected case.

Just in time for the holidays, booster doses are now available to all adults 18 years of age and older. People age 18 and older who have completed their initial series with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines six months ago or more after the initial series is complete or adults 18 and older who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine two months after their first vaccine can get a booster at Health District clinic locations. The booster dose can be the same vaccine originally received or a different vaccine. COVID-19 boosters are safe, effective and free.

The Southern Nevada Health District and its partners in the COVID-19 Outreach and Education Project received a $5,518,801 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address COVID-19 health disparities in the community. The grant program began in June 2021 and continues through May 2023.  

For clarification, the number of cases COVID-19 among children age four and younger is 7,566 as of November 12. The number of cases in children between the ages of 5 and 11 is 16,687 as of November 12. The COVID-19 Dashboard will include this breakdown going forward.

Beginning Wednesday, November 10, Pfizer BioNTech pediatric doses will be available for children between the ages of 5 and 11 at the Health District’s main public health center at 280 S. Decatur Blvd. and its community clinic sites. Vaccines will be available on a walk-in basis until the appointment system is updated.

As of October 28, there have been 331,107 cases of COVID-19 reported in Clark County. The Health District is also reporting the seven-day average of new positive cases as of October 24 is 293 cases, while the 7-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 6.9 percent. A total of 5,963 Clark County residents have died from COVID-19.

As of October 22, there have been 329,006 cases of COVID-19 reported in Clark County. The Health District is also reporting the seven-day average of new positive cases as of October 18 is 266.0. A total of 5,900 Clark County residents have died from COVID-19.

As of October 15, there have been 326,538 cases of COVID-19 reported in Clark County. The Health District is also reporting the seven-day average of new positive cases as of October 11 is 312.9. A total of 5,835 Clark County residents have died from COVID-19.

The Southern Nevada Health District is providing a weekly summary of COVID-19 data and new or updated information about COVID-19 clinics and resources.

The Southern Nevada Health District continues to provide Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster doses to eligible individuals. The Health District is following the Nevada State Immunization Program’s Vaccine Playbook regarding occupations where individuals may receive a booster dose due to their potential risk of exposure and transmission. The information is posted on our website: www.snhd.info/covid-booster

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidance recommending booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine for people who are at higher risk for COVID-19. At this time, booster doses are only available to people who received the Pfizer vaccine. The CDC is recommending the following groups receive booster doses at least six months after they have completed their two-dose series of the Pfizer vaccine:

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration held a meeting to discuss the issue of administering additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the general public, and specifically, recommendations related to administering booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The FDA advisory committee did vote not to recommend boosters for everyone 16 and older; however, it did recommend a booster for individuals age 65 and older or those who are at a high risk of severe COVID-19 illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will make final recommendations for the use of the vaccine. The Southern Nevada Health District would then begin administering booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine in accordance with CDC guidance.

The Southern Nevada Health District is now including Variants of Interest in its weekly reporting. More information about variants, including classifications and definitions is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/index.html.

The Southern Nevada Health District is making testing more accessible with locations now available at mobile sites at the following locations: The Jimmie Hughes Campus (Mesquite), Sahara West Library, Windmill Library, Enterprise Library, Sunrise Library, Whitney Library, West Las Vegas Library and Aliante Library.

Unfortunately, people are turning to untested, unauthorized, and in many cases unsafe treatments for COVID-19. Recently, there has been increased interest in a drug called ivermectin. Ivermectin is a drug used in the United States to treat or prevent parasites in animals and for specific uses in humans. The doses and forms for humans and animals are different. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been receiving reports of patients who have been hospitalized after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for horses.