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Los Angeles County’s top health official recommends residents reconsider travel to Nevada and other states where COVID-19 rates are rising, especially if they are not vaccinated .
LA County Health Officer Dr Muntu Davis provided the recommendation to the County Oversight Board on Tuesday, citing a “relevant” number of new cases in that county. Cases have increased 165% over the past week and disproportionately affect black and Hispanic populations, he said.
Davis’s advice to rethink travel to neighboring California comes as Nevada grapples with recent rapid increases in most of the state’s major COVID-19 measures, including new cases, the rate of positivity and hospitalizations.
The troublesome trend, fueled by the more contagious variant of the delta coronavirus, is particularly felt in southern Nevada, which has been called a “sustained hot spot” for COVID-19 by the federal government.
Clark County recorded 180 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week, almost tripling the 68 new cases per capita in LA County during the same period, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of United States.
Nevada reported 938 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, its biggest single-day jump in more than five months.
LA County said on Thursday it would require everyone to wear masks indoors from Saturday. It was not immediately clear whether Clark County was considering adopting stricter regulations.
As of June 30, there had been no discussion of increasing restrictions on work or social life in the county, according to Dr Fermin Leguen, District Health Officer for the Southern Nevada District.
Immunization rates are on the rise
Nevada public health officials said unvaccinated residents accounted for nearly all new infections.
The state is making strides every day to get people vaccinated, with more residents receiving a first dose last week than the national average, according to Candice McDaniel, deputy director of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.
McDaniel, in a briefing with reporters Thursday, said initiated vaccinations had increased 32% since the state instituted “Vax Nevada Days,” handing out big prizes to people who get vaccinated. The second raffle took place on Thursday evening.
Almost 55% of eligible residents statewide and in Clark County have received at least one dose of a vaccine, state data shows, but McDaniel acknowledged that COVID-19 measures in the county were “of concern.”
Visitors are encouraged to take snapshots, tests
Nevada is a leading tourist destination around the world, but also where some 50,000 vehicles a day enter the state from California via Interstate 15. And economic confidence is high after a long and crippling shutdown in due to the pandemic.
“We continue to encourage visitors and residents to get vaccinated,” Lori Nelson-Kraft, spokesperson for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said in a statement. “Visitors to Las Vegas need to be confident that we are doing everything we can to ensure their safety at our destination. “
Michelle White, chief of staff to Gov. Steve Sisolak, said Thursday everyone had to assess their own level of comfort, as she responded to LA County’s recommendation to avoid traveling to Nevada.
“We are doing everything we can and are working with (partners) to make it a safe destination,” she said.
White highlighted early efforts by the state and the private sector to prioritize hospitality workers for vaccines and noted that it was important to ensure that there were opportunities for hospital workers. visitors to be vaccinated and tested in the hallway of the complex.
“If someone is coming from out of state it may be more convenient, and we certainly encourage everyone to (get vaccinated and tested),” White said. “When you’re a global tourist destination, you want to make sure everyone is safe because it makes your residents and your state safe. “
Southern Nevada Health District spokesperson Jennifer Sizemore said unvaccinated people should – among other protections – wear masks in public places or large gatherings and get tested when traveling.
“We believe it is appropriate for people who are not fully immunized to take steps to protect their health and that of those around them,” she said in a statement.
Contact Shea Johnson at [email protected] or 702-383-0272. To pursue @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.
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