Amid virus rise, Nevada relying on push to vaccinate more
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Officials said Thursday that Nevada will have dozens of pop-up COVID-19 vaccination sites over the coming weeks and federal workers to help reach out to the unvaccinated as the state confronts a jump in virus cases and hospitalizations.
As of July 6, Nevada saw 134% increase increase in hospitalizations of people with the coronavirus since May 31 — the day before the state fully reopened and lifted most of its restrictions on businesses. The rate of hospitalizations had increased 62% over the last 14 days alone, health officials said Thursday during a virtual news conference.
Most of the cases involved people who were not vaccinated, and the bulk of the increase is in southern Nevada's Clark County, which includes Las Vegas and most of the state's population.
“The heightened hospitalizations in Clark are the key cause for the concern, although they have not yet been accompanied by rising deaths,” said Candice McDaniel, the deputy director of programs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
The rate of positive COVID-19 tests has more than doubled over the past two weeks, with the 14 day positivity rate reaching 8.2% Thursday.
Adding to the worry is that the rise in newly reported cases and hospitalizations comes as the as the highly contagious delta variant, first detected in India, has become the most prevalent form of the virus in the state.
“If you are unvaccinated in the state of Nevada, that risk we’ve all faced since our first case over a year ago remains," said Michelle White, Gov. Steve Sisolak’s chief of staff. "However, now that risk can be even greater with the emergence of the variants and increased mobility.”
White did not directly answer questions on whether Sisolak is considering restoring any mitigation measures such as...