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Nevada’s northern and southern labs are out of coronavirus testing swabs, but officials expect to get more kits this week, including rapid-result test kits, Gov. Steve Sisolak said Monday...At a coronavirus briefing, Sisolak said the state has received 4,000 test swabs from the federal government and 3,000 reagent liquid kits that are used to test the samples...Sisolak said that while federal officials provided test components, “we did not get complete kits.”...State health workers continue to struggle to find enough kits to fill growing patient demands, and some clinics have shut down temporarily in Las Vegas as they wait for new supplies...READ MORE

The World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic last week, with more than 120,000 cases around the world. As new coronavirus cases spread around the globe, questions surrounding this new virus grow exponentially as well...We asked Dr. Brian Labus of the UNLV School of Public Health questions about what you should know about the virus and how you should prepare for it...READ MORE

• Where do coronaviruses come from and how do they spread?
• Can the coronavirus spread through animal products imported overseas?
• Should I be worried about my pets contracting the virus?
• Who is most vulnerable to the virus?
• Should I avoid the Strip or other heavily populated areas in Las Vegas?
• Why do health experts advise people not to stock up on masks?
• Who is qualified to get tested?
• Why are we so limited in our capacity to test for the virus?
• Do you think we’ll see cases slow down as the weather warms up?
• Should I cancel my vacation plans?
• If I am flying, how can I protect myself from getting infected?
• How likely is it that a city like Las Vegas could go into lockdown?
• How prepared do you think Clark County is to handle a pandemic?
• How does the response to COVID-19 compare with other past global pandemics, such as H1N1 in 2009?
• Do you think social media has played a role in how most of the public has responded to the illness?
• What lessons can we use from global pandemics that have happened in history?
• What else can I do to protect myself?
• Should I still get my flu shot?
• Is there any estimate on when this will all be over?
• Do you think U.S. response (i.e. canceling travel, public sporting events) is appropriate? Is it over the top or should we be doing more?
• Do we know how long the virus can live on a surface?
• Is there anything you think is missing from the overall public discourse on COVID-19 you'd like to note?

Dozens of major conferences, concerts, gatherings or other events have now been limited, postponed or outright canceled in the wake of mounting fears of the spread of the novel coronavirus...READ MORE

A physician shortage continues to be a problem in Nevada and is hindering patient care access hardest in rural regions, according to a recent report focusing on health care workforce trends in the Silver State...According to the latest data published in the report, "Physician Workforce in Nevada: A Chartbook - January 2020," demand for physicians in Nevada continues to exceed the current supply. While the number of licensed physicians in the state has increased over a decade, Nevada ranks 45th for active physicians per 100,000 population, 48th for primary care physicians per 100,000 population and 50th for general surgeons per 100,000 population...READ MORE

Gov. Steve Sisolak has signed an emergency measure to safeguard the threatened supply of two drugs being hoarded for possible use in the treatment of COVID-19...The governor signed the emergency regulation Tuesday on the recommendation of the state Board of Pharmacy...The drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, are used to treat malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and are being studied by the Food and Drug Administration for possible use in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19...The governor’s order prohibits the prescribing and dispensing chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for a COVID-19 diagnosis, requires the appropriate prescription coding for their “legitimate medical purposes” and limits prescriptions to a 30-day supply...The order doesn’t limit use of the drugs in hospitals, only in outpatient settings where hoarding is evident, the governor’s office stressed. Doctors may continue to prescribe them to hospitalized COVID-19 patients at their discretion...READ MORE

Gov. Steve Sisolak said that while a testing kit shortage makes it impossible to tell how much coronavirus has affected Nevada, the pace of the virus’ spread around the world means Nevada must “act quickly” to slow it — including taking drastic measures such as shutting state offices, limiting the size of gatherings and encouraging employees to work from home if possible...the governor asked local governments to enforce a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guideline that all events with attendance above 50 be canceled or postponed for the next eight weeks...READ MORE

A Clark County man who is in his 50s and has an underlying health condition is the first patient in Nevada who has tested presumptively positive for the novel coronavirus...The determination made Wednesday evening stems from a test the health authority performed on the man, who is currently hospitalized and in “airborne isolation,” and a sample is being sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for official confirmation...VA spokesman Charles Ramey said in an email that the man who tested presumptively positive for the disease is a veteran inpatient at the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System...Health authorities said the patient reported traveling recently to Washington State, where the virus has been widely spreading...READ MORE

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Sunday afternoon a statewide task force to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19...The task force will be led by Jim Murren, former CEO of MGM Resorts International...to focus "immediately marshalling and organizing all of Nevada’s private sector resources in support of the local and State Government’s already robust efforts to tackle COVID-19."...READ MORE

Sisolak announced during a press conference in Las Vegas that he had signed the emergency declaration, which included activating a State Emergency Operation Center and emergency team to centralize response to the virus, loosening regulations for government agencies to purchase food and other supplies, creation of a website with centralized information and reinforced the attorney general’s office’s ability to enforce consumer protection laws...“At this time it has become clear that this extra step is necessary in order to meet the goal, to ensure that the public health and safety of our citizens and to ensure that we have the resources at our disposal to immediately and aggressively respond,” Sisolak said...READ MORE

Gov. Steve Sisolak...delivered a message of unity and calm Friday afternoon as Nevada prepares for possible coronavirus cases...There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus...in Nevada, Sisolak said, before urging residents to continue practicing basic hygiene methods, such as washing hands with soap and water, coughing into your elbow and staying home from work or school if sick...“We’re going to prepare, not panic,” he said at a press conference in Las Vegas. “We’re going to choose collaboration over chaos.”...READ MORE