Is Nevada Going to Shut Down Again

As we enter the third year of the pandemic, I'one thousand reminded of my colleague Megan Messerly's words from her final edition of Coronavirus Contextualized:

"We have vaccines and boosters, but we still don't know what the wintertime and the spread of the Omicron variant will bring. We don't know how long nosotros'll be wearing masks. And we don't know whether life will e'er really feel normal again – at to the lowest degree the way it did dorsum in those pre-pandemic days."

I promise to continue Megan's piece of work and provide context and clarity in these uncertain times, albeit in a slightly different format.

As you'll come across in this edition, I will continue to highlight meaning developments and trends while too incorporating reporting from my colleagues on annihilation from wastewater studies to how COVID-19 is affecting convention omnipresence. There's too a "news you can employ" department providing helpful links and resources.

COVID in Context will shift and change depending on the situation at hand. If yous have any questions, thoughts or suggestions, delight reach out to [email protected] or direct message me on Twitter .

For daily updates check out our constantly updating data folio and follow @nvindycovidbot on Twitter.

— Tabitha Mueller

Understanding the numbers

Over the last week, Nevada has experienced a skyrocketing number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations that the governor characterized equally "alarming" in a recent press release.

The governor's message urging individuals to habiliment masks, get vaccinated and stay vigilant came two days before the state experienced a historic milestone on Wednesday: more than than 500,000 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

The surge in cases is partly fueled by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant and follows in the wake of holiday and New year's day's Eve celebrations across the state and country.

The Omicron variant has out-competed the Delta variant every bit the predominant circulating strain in the United States. Nevada health officials expect the same design to occur in the coming weeks.

In light of the increasing numbers of Omicron variant infections, officials in Los Angeles canceled the city'south New Twelvemonth's Eve celebration, and the states of California and New York imposed indoor mask mandates. Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak has resisted school closures and other shutdown measures, pushing instead for testing, vaccinations and mask-wearing.

"In gild for us to protect both lives and livelihoods, we have to work together in partnership. We have to exist mindful to have care of each other, only nosotros too accept to keep our economy going," DuAne Fifty. Young with the governor's function said during a printing call. "Nosotros are not considering any measures to shut down, what we are considering is to continue that support and fortification of our system."

The governor's office as well indicated information technology has no plans to change a policy allowing fully vaccinated individuals to take off their masks at big indoor venues with proof of a COVID-nineteen shot.

"The policy is staying in identify and the Governor continues to urge Nevadans to get vaccinated if they oasis't done and so," wrote Meghin Delaney, the governor's spokesperson.

Every bit of Thursday, more lxx pct of Nevadans have been either partially or fully vaccinated against COVID-nineteen, with 39.4 percent fully vaccinated but with no booster and 17.4 percent fully vaccinated with a booster.

Since vaccinations started in December, a footling more than 2.one 1000000 people have received at least ane dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, more than 1.7 1000000 Nevadans have been fully vaccinated and more than 530,000 people have received the booster.

Epidemiologist and public health researcher at American University Melissa Hawkins explained in a PBS question and answer that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines demonstrated more than xc per centum efficacy (how well a vaccine works) in preventing symptomatic infection. She likewise said that initial data from studies propose that the vaccines are around 30 to 40 percent effective at preventing infections from the Omicron variant and 70 percent constructive at preventing severe disease.

As example numbers rise, hospitals in Southern Nevada and rural parts of the country are experiencing increasing hospitalizations amidst what the Nevada Hospital Association described as a "staffing crisis." The clan said that loftier numbers of employees reporting sickness and "significant" numbers of people flocking to emergency rooms seeking COVID-nineteen testing are driving the crisis.

"Hospitals are stretched thin," the association wrote in its weekly written report. "Patients who want testing only, or who have minor or non-threatening ailments to life, limb, sight, etc. can anticipate excessive expect times, difficulty being transferred to a specific infirmary, or beingness admitted from the emergency department."

To characterize the situation with data, 22 per centum of hospital patients in Southern Nevada have COVID-19 and the number of hospitalized COVID-nineteen patients increased from 552 to 804 or most 46 percent between Dec. 22 and January. 4, co-ordinate to the hospital association. Hospitals in the northern parts of the state are experiencing more moderate increases. The number of hospitalized cases rose from 46 to 68 or almost 48 percentage within the same timeframe.

On a more local scale, the Southern Nevada Health District announced the highest number of COVID-19 cases reported in a single day on Dec. 30 after experiencing an increase of 3,363 cases.

Though Washoe County is not experiencing the same level of case increases and hospitalizations as Clark Canton, Washoe County Wellness District Officer Kevin Dick told reporters on a call this week that the Omicron variant is virtually half dozen times more than transmissible than the virus spreading in 2020 and Washoe'due south effective reproductive rate is at the highest he's seen since the pandemic began.

Dick added that he's "cautiously optimistic" that the Omicron variant is less severe than the Delta variant, but the exponential growth in infections presents uncertainties for hospitalization and death rates.

"We're nevertheless a piffling early in it," he said, encouraging people to get vaccinated and take social distancing and double-masking precautions.

— Tabitha Mueller

Wastewater sampling may show more efficient and accurate for detecting COVID-19 than testing

In Washoe County, health district leaders highlighted a UNR wastewater sampling during a COVID-xix call with reporters this calendar week. The written report detected a 10-fold increment in COVID-19 infections, with a high proportion of the Omicron variant. The study also detected Omicron in the county before the kickoff case was reported by the health district on Dec. xx, 2021.

Equally of Wed, in that location accept been 61 confirmed cases of the new variant in the county and health district leaders said almost all of the current new cases should be considered to exist Omicron.

Subhash Verma, associate professor in the section of microbiology and immunology at UNR, said during a Washoe Canton COVID-nineteen call this calendar week that sampling wastewater for COVID-19 can be more than efficient and accurate than testing, taking into business relationship reporting lags and people who may not get tested because they are asymptomatic.

The wastewater sampling detected higher concentrations of COVID-19 while reported cases were trending downwards. Concentrations of the virus increased dramatically during the holiday season, co-ordinate to researchers.

UNR researchers are collecting sewage from 12 sites across the region including homes, businesses, airports, hotels and casinos. The findings can exist used equally an indicator of the presence of COVID-19 upwards to 7 days in advance of reported cases, researchers said.

"I think information technology's going to exist a difficult couple of months that we have ahead of us and I call back people should actually exist trying to hunker down right now," health district officer Kevin Dick said during the phone call.

Dick called the county's average charge per unit of new cases of 272, up 137 percent from concluding week, and a 9 pct positivity rate alarming.

Asked if he sees a calorie-free at the finish of the tunnel for the pandemic, Dick said if there's one thing he's learned, information technology's that the hereafter is unpredictable.

"We need to be hopeful and we need to exist taking the best actions that we know are based on science to piece of work to protect ourselves and one another," he said. "Hopefully, that volition be what sees united states through this."

— Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

• 

  Empty flooring space as seen during the Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. (Daniel Clark/The Nevada Independent)

CES trade show sees decreased omnipresence amidst Omicron variant surge

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the almanac get-go for the Las Vegas convention and tourism industry'southward yearly conference schedule, saw its numbers muted by the spread of COVID-19's Omicron variant.

In the lead up to CES's opening, several major companies – including Amazon, Intel, Microsoft, Google and General Motors – withdrew from the globe's largest engineering trade show and conference over worries about Omicron's spiking numbers.

CES producers reduced the normal four-day evidence to three days.

Besides, CES required attendees to be fully vaccinated confronting COVID-19, wear masks – which is also a land requirement for indoor events – and examination themselves for COVID within the 24-hour menses prior to entering the venues. The tradeshow provided rapid test kits to all attendees.

Still, briefing officials were optimistic about the prove, which displayed the newest developments in the consumer technology infinite, such as 5G, artificial intelligence, digital health and automation.

"We are expecting tens of thousands of attendees," a CES spokeswoman said in an email. "Although at that place have been cancellations, we look forward to welcoming 2,200 exhibitors."

CES went virtual in 2021 due to COVID. In 2020, coronavirus was just kickoff to surface internationally when CES took place.

CES ordinarily attracts more than 100,000 attendees, but organizers predicted between 50,000 to 75,000 when the last numbers for 2022 are counted.

COVID-xix has decimated the Las Vegas convention industry over the past two years. In 2019, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authorization (LVCVA) saw more than 6.half dozen million convention and trade show visitors in 2019. The number fell to one.7 one thousand thousand in 2020, which included cipher convention attendees for the last nine months of the year.

The Las Vegas Convention Heart has listed a zero for convention attendance through the starting time 11 months of 2021, even though the facility welcomed several conferences and trade shows in 2021, including the Earth of Physical in June and the Specialty Equipment Market Clan (SEMA) auto show in November.

LVCVA spokeswoman Lori Nelson-Kraft said the agency relies on trade show and conference organizers "to provide us with mail-event convention attendance figures to accurately report on business travelers to the destination."

— Howard Stutz

News you tin can employ

All counties except Eureka, Storey and White Pine counties — which are experiencing continued "moderate" to "low" manual — remain subject to universal indoor masking precautions for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Masks are required for unvaccinated individuals regardless of transmission rates.

Counties can have mask mandates put in place if they accept two weeks of "substantial" or "high" transmission; those mask mandates will automatically be removed after two weeks of "low" transmission.

For the most up-to-date data on masking mandates by county, click here.

Searching for COVID-xix testing sites?

Washoe County added four testing sites this week that are open from eight a.yard. to 4:30 p.one thousand. each day of the week. Appointments are not required and the testing locations are walk-up (there are no drive-through options but don't worry, officials say at that place is plenty of parking bachelor).

The boosted sites offering a rapid antigen test that shows results within an hour. The sites accommodate up to i,600 people per mean solar day.

Find the addresses and further details for each of the sites in this printing release.

If you're looking for other testing sites in Nevada, head on over to the state'due south COVID-xix test site finder.

To run across the increasing need for testing, the Southern Nevada Wellness District likewise expanded hours at its College of Southern Nevada sites from 9 a.g. to iv p.m. (previously hours ran from 12 p.m. to 4 p.k.).

Be aware that the health commune is moving its outset-come up, first-served drive-thru COVID testing site from UNLV to the Sam Boyd Stadium this Sunday. Health officials cited a surge in demand as the reason for the move.

For a complete listing of testing sites in Southern Nevada, follow this link.

What nosotros're reading

"Omicron showed upwardly at the same time people were gathering for the holidays," Brian Labus, a former epidemiologist with the Southern Nevada Health Commune and a teacher at UNLV told The Associated Press . "We're concerned about what that ways for the next few weeks."

Federal life expectancy data reveals that COVID-xix helped cause the well-nigh pregnant driblet in US life expectancy since WWII and contributed to the loss of 1.8 years from the average American'southward life expectancy in 2020. Information technology also ranked as the tertiary leading cause of death in 2020 after heart disease and cancer.

Reporter Jacob Solis has been covering vaccine mandates in the college didactics system. He is a must-follow on Twitter if y'all desire to stay upwards-to-engagement with all the twists and turns of the world of higher pedagogy in Nevada. Cheque out his latest on a COVID vaccine mandate for college education employees.

Experts are predicting a bad flu season on top of COVID which officials worry could exacerbate health care disparities.

COVID-19 isn't merely affecting how oftentimes we bank check The Indy'southward Coronavirus Data Folio. Every bit multimedia editor Joey Lovato discovers in this question and answer, COVID-nineteen is as well shaping the fashion industry. If you lot're interested in how the pandemic has shaped other cultural phenomena, check out this inquiry on how the pandemic has changed serial medical dramas.

This story was updated on Fri, Jan. 7, 2022, at ix:23 a.one thousand. to reverberate new information that the 4 new testing sites in Washoe County are unable to offer a PCR test considering of high demand. The sites will temporarily only offer antigen tests.

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Source: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/covid-in-context-omicron-shatters-records-in-nevada-shrinks-ces-crowd

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