December has been the worst month on record for the COVID-19 pandemic, killing 697 Nevadans. That overtakes heart disease as the state's number one killer during that month.
"Those number ranges in any given month from 550 to 650 deaths on the high end," Kyra Morgan, Nevada State Biostatistician said. "So with 697 COVID deaths recorded to date, in the month of December, we have officially broken that record."
An average of 19 Nevadans are dying from COVID-19 over the last 14 days. That means the December death toll could be closer to 740 by New Year's Eve.
"The fact that it's December and we're here and this is in fact the leading cause of death in the state, I think we ought to take a minute to reflect upon that," Caleb Cage, State of Nevada COVID-19 Response Director said.
Health experts predicted a surge during the fall and winter months. People are spending more time indoors and there are fears of a surge because of holiday gatherings.
"We are very much in the position of having made it through the wave of Thanksgiving and heading into a wave from the December and January holidays," Cage said.
Many members of the COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force are concerned about large celebrations on New Year's Eve. Officials say one possible event could attract about 14,000 people to Fremont Street in Las Vegas to ring in 2021.
"This is not an event that the City of Las Vegas has approved or sanctioned," Wesley Harper, Director of the Nevada League of Cities said. "This, I think, is most accurately thought in terms of a protest."
Officials say leaders from Las Vegas, Clark County, and Metro Police Department have not permitted the event.
"We are very concerned about that," Terry Reynolds, Director of the Department of Business and Industry said. "It's just, frankly, it's not a good idea to gather that many people in that confined of a space for that period of time."
Cage says it is possible that the winter holidays could create a surge on top of a surge. Nevada's hospitals are already feeling the pressure. Some are running out of space and it is getting more difficult to keep staffing levels up.
"Our hospitals, statewide, are still experiencing record numbers even if they are lower than they were two weeks, 10 days ago," Cage said. "Our capacity as a state to treat people is being tested as well, with the burden of this virus."
Meanwhile, Governor Steve Sisolak's Office of Finance is looking into funding from the latest COVID relief bill and what resources are available to mitigate public health and economic emergencies.
"There are a lot of aspects to evaluate," Lesley Mohlenkamp, Executive Budget Officer said. "It is like a giant puzzle piece that we have now, new puzzle pieces added to it."
The Division of Emergency Management is getting Personal Protective Equipment where it needs to be. Chief David Fogerson says every school in the state should have the PPE it requested. It is also working to deliver 500 N95 masks to the Nevada Department of Corrections. Fogerson says the state has 92 FEMA grants worth $137.8 million. The Division of Emergency Management has sent $25.3 million of that to local governments and the state.
