Covid- 19 Hospitalizations Continue to Rise in Nevada, While Booster Vaccinations Remain Low

COVID-19 New data shows that the number of people hospitalized in Nevada keeps increasing while the number of people getting the updated bivalent booster stays low.

Wednesday, Marissa Medeiros, public information officer for the Nevada State Immunization Program, stated that around 12 percent of eligible Nevadans, or nearly 182,000 people, have received their current booster. Vaccines are accessible to people over 5 who have completed the primary immunization series.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state jumped by 16 percent to 164 in the past week. According to figures provided Wednesday by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, the number of hospitalizations in Clark County rose by 14 percent to 127.

According to the Nevada Hospital Association, 10 percent of emergency room visits in the recent week were for COVID-19, up from 9 percent the week prior.

The hospital association stated that the state’s hospital infrastructure is now “in good condition and has ample capacity to respond to an unplanned all-cause surge.”

Public health officials continue to voice alarm over a potential “tripledemic”: that COVID-19 infections would spike this winter, possibly coinciding with a potentially more severe flu season and spikes in other respiratory viruses such as RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).

In spite of a recent rising trend, the number of COVID-19 cases in the county and state had decreased during the past week. The county’s 14-day average of daily new confirmed cases decreased by 7 percent, to 117. Across the state, the number of cases decreased by 8 percent, to 151.

In contrast to other regions, Nevada has not seen an early flu season. The state has had a total of 10 influenza-related hospitalizations this season, according to the hospital association. The CDC believes that 7,000 people have been hospitalized nationally due to influenza.

Credits: Review Journal