COVID cases, testing surge in Las Vegas Valley

The largest COVID-19 investigating tract successful Las Vegas administered much than 1,300 tests Sunday evening, a fig 9 times higher than mean and a motion that request for investigating is spiking on with lawsuit numbers, a Clark County authoritative said Monday.

The drive-thru and walk-in tract successful a UNLV parking batch disconnected of Paradise Road connected mean administers astir 150 tests an evening, said Clark County Emergency Manager Billy Samuels. The tract was capable to grow its regular capableness of 500 tests by utilizing surplus tests near implicit from earlier low-demand periods and by calling upon the region occurrence section on with assemblage and Las Vegas constabulary for assistance with postulation control. Personnel besides stayed connected an hr past the mean closing time, helium said.

Still, immoderate radical waited 2½ hours to get tested, said Samuels, a lawman occurrence chief.

Sunday’s investigating number was “such an anomaly that, obviously, we don’t privation to leap the weapon and unit up for 1,400 tests” successful the adjacent mates days without archetypal seeing a trend, helium said. The tract astatine UNLV had been closed the erstwhile week, which mightiness person created immoderate pent-up demand.

The county, authorities and Southern Nevada Health District volition each beryllium looking astatine investigating information aboriginal this week to find if they request to adhd sites oregon grow hours astatine existing sites, helium said.

COVID-19 cases are connected the emergence successful Clark County, the authorities and the nation, a surge attributed successful portion to the omicron variant, a highly contagious strain of the virus. The variant represents astir 31 percent of cases genetically analyzed by the Southern Nevada Health District implicit the past week and a half, said Cassius Lockett, manager of illness surveillance and control.

Demand increasing

Demand for investigating successful Clark County has been steadily rising successful December, according to figures from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. Spot checks Monday greeting of nationalist investigating sites showed that appointments were disposable arsenic soon arsenic Wednesday. An informal survey showed that appointments weren’t disposable astatine immoderate country pharmacies until adjacent week.

“The request for investigating is unthinkable close now,” Lockett said. He urged radical who don’t privation to hold for an assignment to effort territory sites that specify that they judge walk-ins, wherever further capableness is built in.

More than 8,000 tests were done astatine health territory sites past week, up from 5,000 tests the erstwhile week, territory typical Jennifer Sizemore said.

Lockett said that helium is proceeding from residents who are frustrated that they can’t find accelerated tests astatine cause stores, wherever they are rapidly bought up. He expects the occupation to easiness successful January, erstwhile the wellness territory volition statesman to administer thousands of escaped accelerated tests arsenic portion of the national programme announced by President Biden past week. Details connected however the territory volition administer the tests are inactive being decided, helium said.

Trouble uncovering a accelerated trial successful country stores was a main crushed radical gave for going to the UNLV investigating tract connected Sunday, said Samuels, relying connected anecdotal accusation and not a ceremonial survey. Others said they were determination to guarantee their families were harmless implicit the holidays, they needed to beryllium tested for enactment oregon had been exposed to a idiosyncratic with COVID-19.

“A full clump of variables came into play,” Samuels said. “We didn’t spot those variables coming.”

New CDC guidance connected erstwhile to test

In caller guidance issued Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that unvaccinated people, oregon those overdue for a booster shot, should quarantine for 5 days and deterioration a disguise for an further 5 days if they’re exposed to COVID-19. Those who person received a booster bash not request to quarantine pursuing an exposure, according to the agency, but should deterioration a disguise for 10 days.

Everyone who is exposed to a idiosyncratic with the microorganism should beryllium tested 5 days aft exposure, the CDC said. Anyone with symptoms should instantly quarantine until receiving a antagonistic remainder result.

“If symptoms occur, individuals should instantly quarantine until a antagonistic trial confirms symptoms are not attributable to COVID-19,” according to a connection from the CDC.

Dr. Michael Gardner, subordinate dean of strategy with the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine astatine UNLV, said that perchance waiting a time oregon 2 to beryllium tested is an inconvenience, but a acold outcry from “when everybody was unvaccinated and everybody was exposed to the hazard of the ICU and death.”

Samuels urged patience astatine crowded investigating sites. “We’re doing our best,” helium said. “These are antithetic times.”

The UNLV investigating site, located astatine 851 E. Tropicana Ave., operates from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Sundays done Thursdays. Other investigating tract accusation tin beryllium recovered astatine http://covid.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/testing/.

Contact Mary Hynes astatine mhynes@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 connected Twitter. Reporter Jonah Dylan contributed to this report.