Thread by @GovSisolak

Thanks for joining me today, Nevada. I wanted to provide an update on our current COVID-19 situation and how what we do as Nevadans in the coming days and weeks can make the difference as the country faces a fall surge. Follow along⬇️

Today, I am not announcing a new directive or more restrictions. I want to be able to continue on the path we’re currently on. I want to open more, not close. I want kids back in school. I want Nevadans back to work.

I know this pandemic has been exhausting & overwhelming, but our mission remains unchanged:
- Follow public health recommendations
- Mitigate the spread to prevent more deaths & protect our health care system
- Protect our economy & businesses
- Get kids back to school safely

This includes our goal of getting kids back to school in the safest way possible. Our students and parents are struggling, and luckily Superintendent Ebert & @NevadaReady has been working tirelessly to identify solutions.

In America and around the globe we've seen evidence of a fall surge. Nationally, we've surpassed 8 million known cases & last Friday, the U.S. had 70k new infections in one day, the highest one-day total since July. Sadly, there have been nearly 219,000 deaths to date in the U.S.

As we watch this third wave, we see a number of states experiencing concerning increases in cases and in their hospitalizations. One of biggest challenges of #COVID19 is the speed at which it spreads and impacts our health systems and communities.

Here in NV we are seeing significant trends in new cases. According to the White House COVID19 report, we are in the red zone for cases (24th highest in country). We are in the orange zone for test positivity (16th highest in country). Our 14-day test positivity rate is 9.1%

As of today, for the most recent 7-day period, cases are growing at a rate of .8% or 666 new cases per day. For comparison, the growth rate for the 7-day period at the beginning of September was .5% or 332 new cases per day.

Nevada is not currently experiencing concerns related to hospital saturation or critical infrastructure overload based on COVID patients, with relative demand placed on hospitals by COVID at approximately 10%.

But hospitalizations are steadily increasing in Nevada. Things can change over a matter of days – especially in flu season. Flu shot is more important than ever. Combo of flu and COVID could place burden on hospitals. Do your part: visit @ImmunizeNV for more info.

I also want to take a moment to thank our healthcare workers who have worked on the front lines of this virus. They never got a stay-at-home order, and we owe it to them to protect their health and honor their service.

Next, I want to talk about a term that’s been gaining a lot of recognition lately and that’s “COVID fatigue.” Back in the spring the message was “15 days to flatten the curve.” COVID wasn’t supposed to last this long.

But fatigue can lead to riskier behavior and complacency. Unfortunately, the virus doesn’t get fatigued, it’s alive and well. It’s that simple. We can’t get tired when the virus isn’t tired.

If we allow the fatigue to take over, the virus will spread.

Wear a face covering.
Practice social distancing.
Wash your hands.
Get a flu shot.
Get a COVID test.

I know that the behavior of certain officials at the highest levels of our government run contrary to the public health experts -- creates a sense that the pandemic is over or questions on whether masks work. It creates division.

But we must be united: The enemy is the disease – not each other.

The most important tool in this pandemic is Nevadans. It’s our behaviors. It’s our willingness to #MaskUp and socially distance. That’s how we get through this.

That’s why I wanted to address all of you today. To let you know that we are beginning to see an alarming trend in the # of cases & hospitalizations in NV. But more importantly, I wanted to remind all of you that we are NOT helpless. We have the power to change the trajectory.

If I had a dial in my office that controlled cases, I would turn it all the way down and move on...but I don’t. But all of us as Nevadans can control that dial through our willingness to adapt and adopt public health measures.

Here’s my appeal to all of you: If like me, you want to open more and not less, if you want our kids back in school, if you want people to return to their jobs....public health measures are the key. In a situation that can seem complex, it’s actually all very simple.

So here’s what we need to do, Nevada:
✔️Compliance with face coverings
✔️Social distancing
✔️Individual hygiene
✔️Avoiding crowds in public and private gatherings
✔️If you are sick or have been exposed, please isolate
✔️Get a test if you had a positive contact or symptoms