Data posted by the Centers for Disease Control say that, as of Tuesday, 12 of Nevada’s 17 counties have high or substantial risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Esmeralda County dropped off the list during the week but was replaced by Storey, which grew from low risk to substantial risk.
If Esmeralda remains low for another week, the mask mandates there will be lifted. But Storey will get the mask mandate if the county doesn’t lower the infection rate by Aug. 13.
Humboldt, Eureka and Lander counties are still classified as not requiring masks at this point. Pershing, however, moved from low to moderate risk of transmission this past week.
In Carson City, the test positivity rate has risen to 13.3 percent and the number of cases per 100,000 population is nearly double the 200 cut off at 371. It’s 12.5 percent in Douglas but that county also fails the cases per 100,000 and the requirement they test more than 100 per day.
Churchill is at 8.4 percent.
Washoe’s positivity rate is currently 11.7 percent with a case rate of 354.
But the big problem remains Clark County where positivity is 16 percent and the case rate per 100,000 is nearly five times the 200 maximum.
To avoid the mask mandate, positivity must be at or below 8 percent.
Across the state, the unvaccinated are required to wear masks indoors. But the CDC is recommending everyone including those who are fully vaccinated wear a mask in public indoor settings.
Statewide, the rolling daily average of new cases is at 908. The 14-day rolling average of new deaths is at just six a day. Altogether, 5,929 people have now died from the virus in Nevada.
