LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A White House COVID-19 Team report singles out the Las Vegas metro area as the worst in the nation for transmission of the virus among metro areas with more than 1 million people.
The report lists Las Vegas ahead of Jacksonville, Florida; Miami; Orlando, Florida; San Antonio; Phoenix; Kansas City; St. Louis; Tampa, Florida; and New Orleans — the 10 metro areas currently with the worst transmission of COVID-19. The rankings are shown below in the left column:
Clark County is listed again as a “sustained hotspot” in the report. The county was also listed in a July 8 report as a hotspot.
A hotspot for new COVID-19 infections is defined as a community that has “had a high sustained case burden and may be higher risk for experiencing healthcare resource limitations.”
The report, updated Friday, uses data for cases and deaths from July 8-14, and testing data from July 6-12. Numbers reported by Nevada and the Southern Nevada Health District since those dates have only gone up.
The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) issued new guidance Friday, saying whether you have been vaccinated or not, masks should be worn “in crowded indoor public places where they may have contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.”
The recommendation falls short of the mask mandate issued this week in Los Angeles County, but could be a sign that a mandate could be the next step.
The SNHD advice was already producing reactions Friday as some casinos go back to requiring employees to wear masks. The Venetian and the Westgate were among the first to make changes.
Democratic Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak underscored the importance of taking the recommendation seriously in a tweet.
“I urge residents and visitors to take this seriously & follow the recommendation for the health of our community and state,” he tweeted.
