See update at end of story
With 0.7% of the national population, the Las Vegas area this morning reported 3.1% of all COVID-19 deaths nationally, or 24 out of 725. That’s more than four times the national per-capita rate.
This is an unfortunate trend that has persisted locally for months, and is undoubtedly linked to the relatively low vaccination rate in Nevada. Previous New To Las Vegas posts have suggested this is the result of a high local tolerance for risk.
The Las Vegas chunk of the national death rate has been as high as 8%. But it’s dropped not because the locals are doing a much better job of vaccinating but mainly because the death count elsewhere have risen.
Would-be visitors, take note. The risk in Las Vegas begins long before you hit the casinos on the Strip.