LAS VEGAS – Over 50 Guardsmen joined with the Clark County Fire Department mobile surge command to help Las Vegas during this uptick in coronavirus cases. According to staff reports, over 1,900 people were screened on the first day of operations at newly opened Texas Hotel and Casino.
The US has reported more than 100,000 new cases of coronavirus each day over the last 10 days, according to NBC news. Hospitals throughout the entire country are reaching patient capacity and the viral outbreak is showing no signs of slowing. States, including Nevada, are preparing to issue (or already have issued) new restrictions as COVID cases surge. Unfortunately, this week Gov. Steve Sisolak has tested positive for the coronavirus. So far he remains in quarantine with mild symptoms, according to Channel 3 News.
Clark County has seen 97,608 total cases and 1,641 deaths to date. The total number of cases for the state of Nevada is 124,000 with 1,944 deaths.
As of this writing, the US has averaged 1,000 COVID-19 deaths every day this month.
Deputy Incident Commander with CCFD, Noah Wheatley, advised that their goal is to have over 2,000 people tested per day during the mobile surge operations. He is a captain for the technical rescue team and was also a firefighter for nearly 18 years.
“This is a cooperative effort between UMC, the Southern Nevada Health District, the Nevada Army Guard, and the Clark County Fire Department,” Wheatley said. “We want to get as many people tested as possible - without an appointment and for free.”
The hours of operation for the Texas Station are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Thursday through Monday. The site has been used multiple times throughout the year as a community-based collection site and there are plans to have this location in place until roughly December 30. The operations began Nov. 13, 2020.
“The professionalism between all the different agencies involved is really beneficial,” Wheatley said while discussing his experience working with the Nevada National Guard. “It’s great to work with the military leadership here at Texas Station. Essentially we are all professionals seeking the same solution – winning the battle against this coronavirus.”
In addition to being a combat medic specialist with 1/221 Cavalry, Sgt. Robert Anderson works as a planner with Task Force South. Anderson has been on the front lines fighting this virus since the beginning.
“We want to be able to get a good sample size of our community, not just test those who are symptomatic,” Anderson said. “We want to capture those who have been exposed so then we can know the true rate of spread in our community.”
“When we have vaccinations available to deal with this volume of people, we will be better prepared for when they’re ready to be distributed,” Wheatley said. “We’ll be able to take what we learned here and transition our roles to apply the vaccines.”
How the National Guard is helping
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