Nevada's First Omicron Case Is in Clark County

Three weeks before CES returns to Las Vegas for the first time in two years as a physical show, the Southern Nevada Health District confirmed the state’s first case of COVID-19's omicron variant Tuesday in a local resident. The person who tested positive for omicron is a fully vaccinated female in her mid-20s who lives in Clark County and who hasn't gotten a booster shot, said SNHD. Her case is still being investigated, it said. “We knew that it was only a matter of time” before omicron would show up in Southern Nevada, said Fermin Leguen, SNHD health officer. “People can protect themselves from all variants of the COVID-19 virus by getting fully vaccinated and getting a booster when they are eligible, wearing a mask in public indoor settings, regardless of their vaccination status, and staying home and getting tested if they are sick.” CTA is requiring CES 2022 attendees to be fully vaccinated. There’s no change in show policy not mandating a booster shot, despite Pfizer’s Dec. 8 finding of a 25-fold reduction in protection against omicron among people with two Pfizer doses, but not the booster (see 2112140042).