By Michelle L. Price Associated Press
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
LAS VEGAS — A surge in coronavirus cases driven by the highly contagious delta variant and Nevada's straggling rate of vaccinations has pushed hospitalization rates in the state past levels seen in last summer's surge, well before vaccines were available.
Nevada on Monday reported 1,130 people were hospitalized and confirmed to have COVID-19 and 94 hospitalized people who were suspected to have the illness.
Those are levels last seen in late January but below the highest peak seen since the pandemic began. That was in December when hospitals were pushed to near capacity. On Dec. 15, Nevada reported 1,857 confirmed patients.
The current surge has surpassed the highest rate last summer, when there were 972 confirmed hospitalizations and 174 suspected COVID-19 hospital patients.
The Nevada Hospital Association is expected to release new statewide hospital data on Wednesday. Amy Shogren, a spokeswoman for the association, said no one was available for an interview Tuesday.
As of last week, the Nevada Hospital Association said seven hospitals were reporting a surge in cases above licensed bed counts and five had staffing shortages.
There were 231 patients in ICUs last week—about half the peak of 460 seen on Dec. 22. There were 142 people on ventilators, less than half the level seen at the peak seen on the same December day.
Aimee Eaton, a respiratory therapist in Las Vegas, said health care workers are burnt out after more than a year of responding to the pandemic and seeing a wave of new cases, mostly among the unvaccinated.
"It is unfortunately becoming a new normal for health care workers and there is going to be a serious shortage of health care workers with people leaving because you can't ask someone to essentially go to war every day. It is just crazy," Eaton said.
She said when Nevada reopened and relaxed much of its restrictions and cases were low, it felt as if there was maybe a month of hopeful normalcy before things just started spiking again.
"It is beyond frustrating," Eaton said. "You start running short-staffed. I know our respiratory therapists have been short. We have nurses working mandatory overtime as well. It is like you don't get a break at all — ever."
In addition to urging people to get vaccinated and seeking help from federal officials to get more shots in arms, Gov. Steve Sisolak recently reimposed a mask mandate for much of Nevada. The order applies to people regardless of vaccination status when they're indoors in 12 of 17 counties, including the areas around Las Vegas and Reno.
People who are unvaccinated are required to wear a mask statewide.
Associated Press reporter Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this report.
