Update on COVID-19 in Nevada and Clark County: Are you at risk?

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — The White House announcement that President Joe Biden canceled events and headed off from Las Vegas with COVID-19 comes as Nevada and most of the nation is dealing with an increase in cases and positive tests.

“COVID-19 cases are on the rise nationally, with Clark County reporting an increase in wastewater surveillance,” according to Dave Sheehan, a public information officer at the Southern Nevada Health District.

“The spike in cases is partly attributed to new variants circulating, the summer heat, driving more people indoors where they are in close contact and often unmasked. Additionally, poor ventilation in many indoor spaces is exacerbating the spread. The Southern Nevada Health District urges residents to get vaccinated, avoid poorly ventilated areas, and maintain good hygiene practices,” Sheehan said Wednesday.

New strains have emerged since wintertime, with California and Arizona a little ahead of Nevada in reporting the increases. FLiRT subvariants known officially as KP.2, KP.3 and KP.1.1 have been spreading. The FLiRT name comes from technical names for the group’s mutations, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health .

Wastewater surveillance continues to give health officials a warning when the virus is present, and a recent CDC chart shows the recent upswing:

COVID takes 2-14 days to produce symptoms, so Biden likely contracted it before coming to Las Vegas. His symptoms were mild, including “general malaise” from the infection, the White House said.

In Clark County, case rates have increased 13 weeks in a row since mid-April. The same is true statewide.

While case numbers are still relatively low, the jump from last week to this week shows a 25% increase in case rates. Clark County went from a 14-day running average of 65 new daily cases one week ago to 81 new daily cases, reported today on the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services dashboard. Statewide, the case rate went from 100 to 125 over the past week. Numbers are updated each week on Wednesdays.

Another measure comes from the daily percentage of Emergency Department visits diagnosed as COVID-19. That rate is currently 1.2%, and it has also increased steadily since mid-April, when it was 0.2%. That statistic is only available for the state as a whole.

The level of cases is slightly higher than early 2023, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control was maintaining community level reports nationwide and 8 News Now brought you weekly updates. By the time the health emergency officially ended , the pandemic wasn’t a big topic of conversation.

COVID-19 is still around, and it continues to pose a risk to older people and others with respiratory conditions. The CDC lists 20 conditions that increase COVID-19 risk , as well as disabilities associated with higher risk. The state’s dashboard shows 228 deaths so far this year were due to COVID-19. It has killed more than 12,000 people in Nevada since the pandemic began in 2020.

Does all that mean it’s time to break out masks again? Well, many people have never stopped wearing them. And COVID-19 isn’t the only reason masks are used.

If you are concerned, talk with your doctor or follow this advice from the CDC (links will open in a new tab):

• First and foremost, stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines . Vaccination significantly lowers the risk of getting very sick, being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19.
• Practice good hygiene .
• Take steps for cleaner air .

The CDC website contains prevention strategies and instructions to follow if you are sick.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.