COVID continues to weigh heavy on the minds of many Americans, however, some good news is beginning to surface. Not only has Congress passed another relief package, but fewer Nevadans are testing positive for the virus.
COVID relief funds passed: On Monday, December 21st, the Senate voted 92-6 on a second COVID-19 relief bill totaling nearly $2.3 trillion, with $1.4 trillion slated for government funding and $900 billion in economic relief. Direct stimulus payments of $600 are included in the bill with additional unemployment funds, business loans, funds for colleges and schools, and a $25 billion rental assistance program.
Positive cases: The total number of positive COVID-19 cases in Nevada hit 203,945 on Sunday, December 20th, with the cur-rent positivity rate now at 19.7%. Despite the high numbers, the positivity rate has continued to decline slightly over the last two weeks.
Vaccinations: Last week, Nevada state officials received information from the Department of Defense and the Center for Dis-ease Control (CDC) that the second shipment of vaccines would be 17,550 instead of 30,225 doses, 42% less than expected.Nevada has outlined a tiered priority approach to distributing doses of the vaccine in the state’s Vaccination Program Play-book. “I want all Nevadans to know that while this first allocation is small, it is the first of many,” stated Governor Steve Sisolak, “It’s critical to remember we won’t see large-scale vaccination throughout America until the spring."The Playbook notes that the vaccine supply will be limited in the beginning, so the allocation of doses must focus on critical populations to ensures that health care workers and clinicians receive the vaccine first. State officials hope to have 80% of Tier 1 critical population vaccinated within the first 60 days.
COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Tiers
Tier 1: Healthcare workers, clinicians, and those that will be administering the vaccines, along with hospitals and surgical centers, long term care facility staff and residents, pharmacy technicians, and law enforcement.
Tier 2: Military personnel and a broad scope of public workers including individuals working in education and child care, those considered "essential workers", and inmates.
Tier 3: People with underlying health conditions that are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, elderly Nevadans age 65 and older without underlying health conditions, released offenders in transitional housing, and homeless individuals.
Tier 4: Healthy people aged 16-64.For a complete list of Tier information, visit nvhealthresponse.nv.gov
Ninth Circuit Court ruling: Church attendance caps increased after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled earlier this month that the COVID-19 capacity restriction placed on churches and houses of worship by Governor Sisolak was unconstitutional. The court found that the Governor's church capacity restrictions were harsher than other limits set for casinos and secular businesses. Churches were initially required to cap their attendance at 50 people, regardless of church size or building capacity. The cap has since increased to 25%.
Coronavirus mutations: The COVID-19 virus continues to mutate throughout the country. In June, a unique strain of the virus was discovered in Northern Nevada by Dr. Subhash Verma, associate professor of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the UNR School of Medicine. UNR continues to study the mutation. Presently, no information has is available on how the varied strain may impact vaccine efficacy.Satellite lab: Churchill County continues their efforts to install a satellite COVID-19 testing lab to minimize the waiting time for test results. The commissioners hope to see the lab up and running by the end of the year. The County also continues to offer free, drive-through COVID testing at the Churchill County Fairgrounds.
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