FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 4, 2022

Following is the Southern Nevada Health District’s weekly summary of COVID-19 data and new or updated information about COVID-19 clinics and resources.

COVID-19 Testing

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 has expanded testing at four of its library mobile testing unit locations:

• Aliante Library, 2400 Deer Springs Way, North Las Vegas, NV 89084
  Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sunrise Library, 5400 E. Harris Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89110
  Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Whitney Library, 5175 E. Tropicana Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89122
  Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89106
  Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Testing at the three College of Southern Nevada campuses will revert to their original hours of operation, Monday through Thursday, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Testing continues Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Clark County Fairgrounds, 1301 Whipple Ave., Logandale, NV 89021. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are accepted if capacity allows. Additional information is available: www.snhd.info/covid-testing.

Drive thru testing

The drive-thru site at Texas Station, 101 Texas Star Lane off Rancho Drive, continues to operate five days per week, Wednesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Operations will continue until Sunday, February 20. Drive-ups are accepted at this location.

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-thru testing at Fiesta Henderson concluded its three-week operations on Wednesday, February 2.

Both sites opened in early January and were scheduled to operate for three weeks in response to a surge in local testing demand following the holidays and as COVID-19 cases increased due to the Omicron variant. To date, the drive-thru sites at Texas Station and Fiesta Henderson have administered a combined total of 28,245 tests.

For more information, a list of additional Health District and community partner testing sites, or to register, visitwww.snhd.info/covid-testing.

COVID Treatment

The Southern Nevada Health District is providing the COVID-19 oral medication, Paxlovid, at its 280 S. Decatur Blvd. public health center. The treatment is available for people age 65 and older and people age 12 to 64 who are at risk for severe illness who are tested at the Health District, who test positive and have symptoms. Symptoms must have started within the last five days. People must also meet other criteria to take the medication and will be evaluated at the Health District. The treatment is free.

A complete list of conditions included in the criteria is available on the Health District’s website at www.snhd.info/paxlovid.

At this time, the Health District does not anticipate any shortages of this medication and it has ordered additional treatment courses.

COVID-19 Cases

As of February 3, a total of 479,516 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Clark County, an increase of 1,029 cases over the previous day. The Health District is also reporting the seven-day moving average of 1,101 new positive cases as of January 31. A total of 7,043 Clark County residents have died from COVID-19. The full report is available at www.snhd.info/covid-cases.

While current trends are encouraging, the Health District continues to urge people to use the tools they have available to help protect themselves and others. People should be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, wear well-fitting masks in public indoor or crowded settings, and get tested if they have symptoms of COVID-19.

Variants

The information about variants identified in Clark County reflects a sample of COVID-19 positive tests sequenced. They provide the Health District’s Office of Disease Surveillance and Control with information about variants that are circulating in the community.

The Health District recently confirmed the first reported case of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron BA.2 subvariant. Based on current information about the BA.2 variant, there is no evidence that it causes more severe disease than the original Omicron variant.

The Health District is urging people to protect themselves and others by getting fully vaccinated and a booster shot when they are eligible, wearing a well-fitting mask when in public indoor places, and by staying home and getting tested if they are sick.

In the past 30 days, the Health District identified the following variants in Clark County:

Reducing disease transmission through vaccination is one of the best ways to slow the emergence of new variants. Vaccines remain the most effective measure to protect against serious illness and hospitalization and to reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging.

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.

COVID-19 Vaccination Status Report

The Health District follows the CDC’s guidelines and recommendations regarding use of COVID-19 vaccines, to include their most recent recommendation for the preferential use of the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines over the Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine and the continued use of the J&J vaccine in those for whom the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are not indicated or in those who prefer the J&J vaccine after being advised about any vaccine-associated risks.

The Health District recommends everyone 5 years and older get fully vaccinated, and everyone 12 years and older who is fully vaccinated gets a booster dose if they are eligible to protect themselves and others from COVID-19

COVID-19 Pediatric Doses

As of February  3, more than 42,300 children between the ages of 5 and 11 have received their initial COVID-19 vaccine dose in Clark County and more than 28,400 have completed their vaccine series.

The Pfizer BioNTech pediatric vaccine is available at the Health District’s main public health center, 280 S. Decatur Blvd. and its community clinic sites. Health District and community partner clinic listings and appointment access are available at www.snhd.info/covid-vaccine. Appointments are recommended but walk-ins are accepted.

The COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to protect children from getting COVID-19. Children may be at lower risk than adults of becoming seriously ill, but it is still possible. The vaccine is safe, effective and free.

Current Vaccine Update:

As of February 3:

• Total Doses Reported Administered: 3,365,291

Total Vaccinations Reported Initiated: 1,655,762

• Percent initiated vaccination:
  • Overall: 71.42%
  • 18 years and older: 85.16%
  • 5 years and older: 74.23%
• Total Vaccinations Reported Completed: 1,333,507
  • Overall: 57.52%
  • 18 years and older: 69.25%
  • 5 years and older 44%

Additional vaccination information is available at www.snhd.info/covid-cases.

COVID-19 after Vaccination

As of February 3, the Health District has received reports of 64,234 fully vaccinated individuals testing positive for COVID-19. In Clark County, the current number of cases of COVID-19 in people who are fully vaccinated represents 513 cases out of every 10,000 fully vaccinated people whereas the number of cases in unvaccinated is 3,885 out of every 10,000 unvaccinated. The Health District is reporting a total of 356 deaths that have occurred in fully vaccinated Clark County residents. This represents 3 deaths per 10,000 fully vaccinated people whereas the number of deaths among unvaccinated people is 62 out of every 10,000 unvaccinated.

The Health District’s COVID-19 breakthrough infection reports are available at: www.snhd.info/covid-breakthrough.

Additional resources, including vaccine and testing clinic sites information, are available on the Health District’s website at www.snhd.info/covid.

The Southern Nevada Health District serves as the local public health authority for Clark County, Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite and North Las Vegas. The agency safeguards the public health of the community’s residents and visitors through innovative programs, regulations, and initiatives focused on protecting and promoting their health and well-being. More information about the Health District, its programs, services, and the regulatory oversight it provides is available at www.SNHD.info. Follow the Health District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.