LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — With a stroke of the president’s pen, the U.S. national emergency surrounding the pandemic ended Monday night, a month earlier than scheduled. A public health emergency remains in place until May 11.
But talk about loose threads …
America will continue to hear about COVID-19 for a long time to come. Here’s a look at the current state of the virus in Nevada and Clark County, along with other notes on what’s to come.
Clark County
When the first signs of COVID-19 surfaced in February and March of 2020, the government scrambled to minimize the impact on the public health system. Efforts to “flatten the curve” — minimize the spread of the virus to reduce the strain on hospitals — turned into a massive nationwide shutdown that left a permanent mark on Las Vegas.
Three years ago today, the death toll in Clark County hit 100. Today, according to the most recent figures from the Southern Nevada Health District and the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Clark County is at 9,350 deaths. Statewide, there have been 11,976 deaths — likely to hit 12,000 in the coming weeks.
The strain on hospitals? It’s not a problem and hasn’t been for a while. The “tripledemic” of flu, RSV and COVID-19 taxed resources in November and December, but it’s under control again, with hospitals 73% full, according to the Nevada Hospital Association. About 8% of emergency room visits are for COVID-19 symptoms.
A lingering reminder that severe cases are still out there: more than 100 patients are hospitalized in Clark County. Statewide, it’s 145 patients.
The virus has changed as the pandemic played out. A progression of variants — from Alpha, Beta and Delta to Hydra, Cerberus and Centaurus — eventually brought Omicron, which produced the largest peaks of coronavirus cases in December and January of 2021-22. The current prevalent strain — Kraken (XBB.1.5) — accounts for 97.6% of cases in Clark County. Each new nickname brought fear of the unknown, but the virus steadily weakened.
That’s not to say it’s not still deadly. People with underlying health conditions are all around us, and some people wear facemasks to protect others who may be at risk.
And a new phase of the pandemic could come at anytime with a more dangerous variant.
May 11 deadline
The May 11 deadline on the public health emergency will create a wave of adjustment as routine testing drops and free testing dries up.
Some remnants of the pandemic are regarded as important by some, and history to others. An argument this week over a bill in the Nevada Legislature showed the disparity.
“Senate Bill 441 is a declaration — a declaration that the last remaining law of the emergency COVID era is proposed to end. Two Nevada governors have already declared COVID over. And President Biden brought COVID-19 to a close yesterday,” Democratic Senator Marilyn Dondero-Loop said on Tuesday.
Fierce debate over requirements for cleaning hotel rooms followed as unions turned out to oppose SB441, defending the pandemic laws as necessary in case this all happens again. But the base of the argument was fear that fewer housekeepers would be employed if the bill was passed.
It’s been a month since 8 News Now published its last update on the COVID-19 numbers in Clark County and Nevada. Here’s how those numbers have changed:
CLARK COUNTY
- New daily confirmed cases (14-day moving average, per 100,000 population) 76 — down from 93 on March 15. (-18.2%)
- Total cases: 625,310*
- Deaths: 29 since March 15 report (total: 9,350)
- Hospitalizations: 120 (down 7 from the March 15)
*-A difference in case counts exists between SNHD and the state. By SNHD’s current count, Clark County has had 602,932 cases as of last week.
NEVADA
- New daily confirmed cases (14-day moving average, per 100,000 population) 103 — down from 122 on March 15. (-15.5%).
- Total cases: 825,411
- Deaths: 39 since March 15 report (total: 11,976)
- Hospitalizations: 145 (down 9 from March 15)
The county’s COVID-19 community level has been at “low” since Thursday, Jan. 5., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
