Here are your local news headlines for the morning of Friday, Feb. 26, 2021.
Nevada Expanding New Vaccination Tracking System
By Noah Glick
The state of Nevada announced the expansion of a new vaccination tracking system Thursday, which officials say will help vaccination efforts move more smoothly.
The system is tied to the popular Salesforce platform and began this week in Clark County. It will expand to other counties in the coming weeks.
Officials say the new system will allow residents to schedule and change vaccine appointments and fill out paperwork from a mobile app. It would also allow health districts to keep track of data and vaccine information in a central location.
Nevada Reports Higher Than Average Number Of New Daily COVID Cases
By Paul Boger
Health officials in Nevada reported 14 COVID deaths and 571 new cases of the virus Thursday. It's also the third time this week new daily cases surpassed the state's rolling average.
Nevada's two-week rolling average of new daily cases has trended downward in recent weeks, falling from a high of more than 2,200 new cases a day in early January to just 329 new daily cases this week.
Despite the small spikes in new daily cases, health officials feel optimistic the state is heading in the right direction. Nevada's test positivity rate is now hovering around 8.6%. The World Health Organization recommends less than a 5% positivity rate before governments fully reopen.
A little more than 500 people are currently being hospitalized for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in the state.
In all, more than 292,000 people have, so far, contracted the virus, statewide and 4,933 people have died.
In Washoe County, health officials reported 52 new cases of the novel coronavirus Thursday. Fewer than 5,000 cases remain active; 642 people in Washoe County have died since the start of the pandemic.
Nevada Men's Basketball To Play In Front Of Fans
By Paul Boger
The University of Nevada, Reno Men's Basketball Team will play in front of a crowd this weekend, the first time in more than two months.
The Wolfpack is scheduled to take on Utah State Friday night and Sunday in Logan, Utah.
The last time the Wolfpack played in front of fans was December 11, when they took on Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.
Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Could Be Big Boost To Mountain West
By Stephanie Serrano, Mountain West News Bureau
The FDA is set to approve the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine as early as this weekend. That could mean a lot for the Mountain West, where some states are struggling to get the vaccine out.
States like New Mexico and Montana lead the nation in administered COVID-19 vaccines but Utah and Idaho are trailing far behind.
Christine Porter is a public health professor in Wyoming, and she said this is likely due to the underfunded public health system nationwide.
“There's not really a federal plan on how vaccines are going to be distributed, and so each state is left with its own devices," Porter said. "It was a question then of how prepared each state was to create their own system.”
If the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is approved, there could be tens of millions of single dose vaccines available nationwide next month. Porter said this is a big deal for our region.
In Idaho, public health officials say they are in desperate need of more vaccines. A spokesperson said they’re excited about this new one because it's a single dose and it doesn’t need ultra-cold storage.
Federal Government To Expand Unemployment Benefits To Contractors, Self-Employed In Nevada
By The Associated Press
More Nevadans may soon become eligible for unemployment benefits, but how many isn’t exactly clear. The U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday, new guidance for state employment departments that would expand eligibility for the unemployment insurance benefits. The expansion would include independent contractors, the self-employed and gig workers. The move would also extend retroactive benefits to workers who previously received unemployment, but were then rejected because they turned down work at establishments they considered unsafe.
Strip Casinos Still Down As Gambling Recovers Elsewhere in Nevada
By The Associated Press
Casinos on the Las Vegas Strip are continuing to suffer effects of the coronavirus pandemic, even as other parts of the state are showing signs of recovery. Overall the latest numbers from the Nevada Gaming Control Board show that casinos statewide took in almost $762 million in January. That's down more than 26% compared with the same time a year ago. On the strip, winnings were roughly half of what they were last year, while casinos in Washoe and Elko Counties, on the other hand, saw increases. Casino revenues are a key indicator of the state's fiscal health. Gaming taxes are second only to sales taxes as a percentage of Nevada’s annual budget.
