Cloth face coverings are required in Nevada as a simple barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people when the person wearing the cloth face covering coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice. “We are not defenseless against COVID-19,” said CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield. “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.” The 3 W’s can make a big difference in controlling COVID-19: Wear a mask, Wash your hands, Watch your distance.
Watch this Consumer Reports video about how to wear a mask properly.

During this pandemic, we remain committed to sharing news and information from local and national media about COVID-19 and immunization-related topics. Each week we’ll continue to review clips from across the U.S., from various news outlets and platforms, and bring you ten timely and relevant links.

“Coronavirus contextualized, 16th edition: Exploring, through data, COVID-19 in Nevada and beyond”  The Nevada Independent (July 24, 2020)

Welcome to the 16th installment of “Coronavirus Contextualized,” a recurring feature in which we explore some of the numbers swirling around in the time of coronavirus. Through these stories, we hope to parse the numbers, including confirmed cases of COVID-19, people tested, number of hospitalizations and deaths, and provide some context to them.

"Addressing Racial Health Disparities In The COVID-19 Pandemic: Immediate And Long-Term Policy Solutions"  HealthAffairs (July 20, 2020)

While the COVID-19 crisis has shone a spotlight on the structural failings of our health care system, it has also revealed the disproportionate impact of crises on the poor and communities of color. As states begin to reopen and we look ahead to the next stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, policy makers, health systems, and public health authorities should turn attention to concrete steps that can be taken to ensure that recurring patterns of health disparities do not repeat themselves.

“Vaccines stop diseases safely — why all the suspicion?” Nature (July 22, 2020)

At rallies this year to demand the end of lockdowns in the United States, placards reading ‘Facts over Fear’ and ‘I need a haircut’ jostled with the alarmingly ubiquitous ‘Vaccines cause injury and death’. It was a manifestation of one of the increasingly pressing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: digitally enabled protest, mobilized around misinformation. How should public-health leaders respond?

"A Key Step Toward Safety This Fall"  Inside Higher Ed (July 23, 2020)

Colleges should provide free flu shots to all faculty, staff and students and consider making vaccination mandatory for those who want to return to campus .

Audio: “The Vaccine Trust Problem” The New York Times (July 21, 2020)

Public health officials and private researchers have vowed to develop a coronavirus vaccine in record time. But could that rush backfire?

"What you need to know about Meningitis"  Self Magazine (July 20,2020)

Knowing the symptoms and risks of rare but serious diseases like meningitis B and other forms of meningococcal disease will empower you to get your child life-saving treatments should they ever need it, and protect them through vaccines when you can.”

“How Viruses Evolve” Smithsonian Magazine (July 17, 2020)

“Pathogens that switch to a new host species have some adapting to do. How does that affect the course of a pandemic like COVID-19? The unusual cases of pneumonia began to appear in midwinter, in China. The cause, researchers would later learn, was a coronavirus new to science. By March, the infection began to spread to other Asian countries and overseas. People were dying, and the World Health Organization issued a global health alert.

"A Vaccine Reality Check"  The Atlantic (July 24, 2020)

So much hope is riding on a breakthrough, but a vaccine is only the beginning of the end. We are almost five months into the pandemic and probably another five from a safe and effective vaccine—assuming the clinical trials work out perfectly.

"Reading, ’riting, ’rithmatic and risk: As CCSD works toward reopening schools, concerns over the coronavirus linger"  Las Vegas Sun (Jul 19, 2020)

“When you look at the impact and the safety and welfare of our children, we are listening to the health experts,” Superintendent Jesus Jara said. “I can’t speak for the secretary and I can’t speak for the president. I am going to follow the lead of the health experts, and this is the best way possible.” The best way possible could be the two-day-a-week model. It could be online only. That’s the mystery of managing the reopening of the world while the virus is still present.

"Las Vegas ideal COVID ‘hot spot’ for vaccine trials"  The Nevada Current  (July 22, 2020)

Southern Nevada has all the ingredients that make it a prime location for a COVID-19 vaccine trial — an ethnically and age-diverse population, the necessary medical infrastructure, and plenty of infection to go around.

Prepare, Don’t Panic. To inform Nevadans statewide, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Governor's Office have created this website to better share information and resources as it pertains to the current status of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact within the state of Nevada. https://nvhealthresponse.nv.gov/

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