Mark Jefferson receives a COVID test from contact tracer Lily Dominguez at the Southern Nevada Health District Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022.
Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022 | 6:54 p.m.
Las Vegas health officials are urging residents seeking COVID-19 testing to make appointments at community locations and not hospital emergency departments.
As the demand for tests ramped up alongside increased omicron cases in the valley, Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) also encouraged vaccines for those eligible as another key measure to staunch the flow of sick patients into an overwhelmed healthcare system — especially in the face of flu season combined with COVID-19.
“It is important to keep our health care system from becoming overwhelmed as we see increases in COVID-19 cases at this time of year,” said Dr. Fermin Leguen, district health officer for SNHD in a statement. “We continue to encourage COVID-19 testing, especially for people who have symptoms or who have had recent travel during the holidays. It is also important to get vaccinated against COVID-19, to complete the appropriate vaccine series, and to get a booster dose when eligible.”
There were 2,270 new COVID-19 cases on Jan. 4, bringing the total confirmed COVID-19 cases in Las Vegas to 381,724.
SNHD on Tuesday announced expanded hours at its College of Southern Nevada (CSN) test sites starting today. The locations now offer services 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It was previously Tuesday to Friday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The additional morning hours will aid Clark County in addressing this growing need for testing, the statement said.
CSN has locations in Henderson, 700 College Drive; in North Las Vegas, 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave.; and on West Charleston, 6375 W. Charleston Boulevard. Appointments for testing can be found here. Other test locations around Las Vegas are outlined here. Walk-ins are accepted but may not be available per location.
UNLV also announced adjustments to its testing and vaccination site at 851 E. Tropicana Ave., and after closing today it will reopen operations at Sam Boyd Stadium on Sunday to accommodate more people.
