As the coronavirus pandemic continues to hit the United States, Las Vegas appears to be operating as usual. The casinos have been open since June 4, undeterred by the 123 visitors who tested positive for the highly contagious virus and the 51-year-old Caesars employee who died in late June.
But it is not the same as always for doctors and nurses in Las Vegas’ embattled health system, who say they are “overwhelmed and terrified” by the massive influx of new cases in a state officially considered a “red zone” by the White House. .
“I would say that in the last month we have been completely overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients and our hospital is running out of space,” a Las Vegas emergency room physician, who wished to remain anonymous for fear, told The Daily to professional retaliation. Beast on Friday. “Not only are we overwhelmed and terrified, but according to the numbers in the rest of the country, it is only going to get worse for us.”
One of the states that loosened coronavirus restrictions in May, Nevada has set records for new cases throughout July. The rate of new cases per 100,000 residents is higher than the national average, placing Nevada in the top ten states for cases per capita, along with Florida, now the epicenter of the pandemic, Arizona and Texas.
In Las Vegas, where local officials protested the stay-at-home order, the hospital system is beginning to feel the effects of the cascading outbreak. The Las Vegas area set a new record of 1,315 new cases Thursday, according to the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.
And Sin City is a statewide microcosm, which also destroyed COVID-19 numbers on Thursday with 1,447 new cases and six new deaths. ICUs have approximately 84 percent capacity.
“It is even more concerning that COVID-19 in Nevada is disproportionately affecting communities of color,” Bethany Khan, communications director for the Culinary Union in Las Vegas, told The Daily Beast. “Workers fear contracting the virus and taking it to their families or possibly dying from it.”
At least 626 people have died from the coronavirus and 31,915 have been infected in Nevada, continuing a trend across much of the south and west after states lifted the blockade measures. Worse yet, the COVID-19 test’s positive result rate has reached a staggering 24.3 percent, continuously increasing over the past month.
To curb the increase, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak withdrew plans for a premature reopening, introduced a mask mandate, and closed bars in seven counties, including Vegas.
But he let local leaders enact more restrictive measures, and Las Vegas appears to be working as usual. In the weeks after the Nevada casinos reopened on June 4, after being closed for three months, at least 123 visitors tested positive for the coronavirus.
Brian Labus, professor of public health and outbreak research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told The Daily Beast that while cases in the state are on the rise, state officials have “stepped up” and taken “the main steps.” to ensure the spread is reduced.
“The problem comes down to the fact that people did not take social distancing seriously when we reopened,” Labus said. “I think the mask mandate will have a big impact on cases.”
Labus also emphasized that Sin City “exists for tourism” and therefore has a unique problem of balancing “its economy with security concerns.”
“You have to remember the type of people that come to Las Vegas right now. People are the least concerned about this outbreak right now, the least likely to follow the social distancing, ”he said, noting that tourists are not counted in Nevada numbers.
“When you are on vacation, you want to forget about all your problems, and that includes the coronavirus. But there is still a pandemic, and not following health guidelines puts everyone at risk. “
Khan said pressure to reopen the strip has meant that “hotel and casino workers work in fear every day.” Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has been remarkably quiet after calling the state shutdown in March “total madness” and suggesting that Las Vegas could be a “control group” to test the impact COVID-19 would have on a community that did not close its doors. .
“We’d love to be on the placebo side so you have something to measure yourself against,” he said during a savage April interview on CNN that prompted residents to begin efforts to eliminate it. Goodman’s office did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast.
Late last month, Adolfo Fernández, a 51-year-old Caesars Entertainment employee on the strip, died after testing positive for COVID-19. The utility janitor died just two days after receiving his virus diagnosis, and before the casino implemented a company-wide mask policy.
Since then, the Culinary Union has filed a lawsuit against several major casinos, including The Signature at the MGM Grand, to protect returning workers. The lawsuit states that casino hotels have failed to take precautions to address the virus, have failed to properly monitor, and have not informed employees of positive tests among coworkers.
Khan, who said 20 union members and their spouses or children had died from COVID-19 in the past three months, emphasized that the lawsuit aimed to ensure that hotel and casino workers do not have to live “with the same fear. they go to work every day. “
The White House, according to a report obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, believes that Nevada already faces catastrophic consequences of viruses. In a July 14 document from the White House Coronavirus Task Force, public health officials said Nevada had reached “red zone” status, meaning there were more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents in The last week. Nevada had about 173 new cases per capita in the previous week, compared to the national average of 119.
“Las Vegas still has [a] regarding the increase in cases, “the report said, noting that his county is one of the top three in the state with the highest COVID-19 cases. (Clark County, Washoe County and Elko account for 97.9 percent of new cases in Nevada.)
To combat the increase, the White House document suggested that Nevada, and 17 other states, limit large gatherings, close closed establishments, and issue a mask mandate.
“These are unknown waters and it seems that everyone in Las Vegas has been too lax.“
– Las Vegas ER Doctor
A New York Times The study also showed that Nevada’s rise is among the highest in the world. The study of the number of daily infections between June 28 and July 5 showed that Arizona and Florida are the two most infected places in the world. Nevada placed ninth, before Mississippi, Texas, Georgia and the country of Panama. Nevada also came before Brazil, a country seen as one of the world’s most severe hotspots with more than 2 million cases registered since March.
“The big increase in cases in Nevada [is] among Las Vegas residents, but even if Las Vegas does implement a set of measures, it wouldn’t matter unless it was implemented statewide. You can’t just focus on one jurisdiction, because people move, “said Labus.
Las Vegas hospitals are feeling the surge in new cases and are overwhelmed, understaffed and under-supplied, unable to keep up with what researchers believe is the “tipping point” before a state loses pandemic control.
For the ER doctor, who said he had worked more than 100 hours just this week, the fear is knowing that the worst of the virus is yet to come to Las Vegas. He also said that some of the hospital beds are being occupied by patients from other states, such as Arizona.
“These are unknown waters and it seems that everyone in Las Vegas has been too lax about the pandemic,” said the doctor, stressing that local officials have not taken the necessary precautions to ensure that “they stop the virus months ago.”
“People here in Las Vegas don’t see this pandemic as a problem; well, once the hospitals are full and there is nowhere to go, they will realize that they should have been more careful.”
A spokesman for the University of Las Vegas Medical Center confirmed to The Daily Beast that the occupancy of the hospital’s intensive care unit had exceeded 90 percent, but stressed that “they have the ability to significantly expand this capacity.”
“After a detailed planning process, we have teams in place to activate the alternative surge space on the UMC as needed. We are currently using extra space inside a large PACU [post-anesthesia care unit] to serve a small number of patients with non-COVID-related medical problems, “the spokesperson said, adding that the hospital had not received patients with the Arizona virus. The hospital cares for out-of-state trauma patients who need additional care.
According to the Nevada Hospital Association, the state recorded its highest day of hospitalizations this week, with 1,051 on Tuesday. By Thursday, about 77 percent of the staffed beds statewide were occupied, and 785 confirmed virus patients were admitted. About 40 percent of the state’s fans are in use.
Sixto Zermeno, a bellboy at The Signature at MGM Grand, said in a video announcing the union’s lawsuit, that he had been unable to see his daughter for three weeks while recovering from COVID-19.
“[G]Detecting this disease has been extremely difficult for me and my family, “he said.” I have not been able to see my nine-year-old daughter in person since I tested positive: I have not been able to hug or see my daughter in 3 weeks. .
“The Signature at MGM Grand had three months to prepare and they did not. None of our senior managers had any idea what to do and that is unfortunate. They put many of us and our families at risk. ”
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