Nye, 7 other counties flagged for elevated transmission risk

Nye County was one of eight in the state flagged Friday, Aug. 7 by the Nevada Health Response Team for having an elevated disease transmission risk, marked by meeting two or more of the criteria laid out in the state’s “Road to Recovery: Moving to a New Normal” plan.

Nye County met only one of the criteria, averaging 168.8 tests per day over a 14-day period with a seven-day lag. But the county missed targets for case rate and positivity rate. Nye’s case rate of 452.3 per 100,000 was the second highest in the state after Clark’s 1,006.8, while its test positivity rate of 17.0% was Nevada’s highest.

All eight counties — Carson City, Clark, Elko, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Nye and Washoe — have been notified. In the upcoming days, county leaders will work with state officials, including Caleb Cage, the state’s COVID-19 Response Director, to thoroughly examine each county’s data through an assessment plan, and counties will submit an action plan for review and approval from the Nevada Health Response Team, which includes key state and local representatives.

If counties are found to meet two or more of the criteria again Aug. 13, they will need to enact the approved plans to help reduce the spread of the virus in their communities. Approved measures will be implemented by the local entities Aug. 14. Counties that met at least two criteria this week but show improvement in the data next week and meet only zero or one criteria will not need to take action Aug. 14 but should continue to remain vigilant against the spread of COVID-19.

Each county identified as having an elevated transmission risk must provide a jurisdictional assessment, which should provide data, analysis and recommendations from the county’s perspective.

The critical statewide metrics on which the assessment should be based are hospital capacity, access to personal protective equipment, testing capacity, case investigation and contact tracing, protection of vulnerable populations and enforcement. Each of those metrics is further broken down to give the counties specific areas to address.

Contact Tom Rysinski at trysinski@pvtimes.com