Nevada orders 588K at-home COVID-19 tests amid latest surge in cases

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Nevada has ordered more than 588,000 at-home COVID-19 tests as the state continues to grapple with the latest surge in cases, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Thursday.

The governor held a virtual briefing Thursday to discuss updates to COVID-19 testing and the state's response to the pandemic.

The at-home tests were ordered from FlowFlex using federal funding, and the first shipment is expected to arrive by the end of January, Sisolak said.

RELATED | Community turns to private labs for COVID testing after long lines at free sites

The bulk of tests will go to Southern Nevada, shipped to community partners who will be responsible for distribution. More information on the tests will be posted to the state's Health Response website.

Nevada, like other states in the U.S., is dealing with a new spike in COVID-19 cases and a shortage of health care workers.

The Nevada Hospital Association says the staffing situation in the Las Vegas valley remains at a crisis level, and the total number of statewide COVID hospitalizations has reached its highest level since January last year.

More COVID testing locations are opening around the valley to accommodate the renewed demand for tests as well. Drive-thru sites have opened at Sam Boyd Stadium and Texas Station in North Las Vegas, and another testing site is scheduled to open at Fiesta Henderson.

Julia Peek, deputy administrator for the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, encouraged people who are close contacts of positive cases but asymptomatic to seek a more accurate PCR test in addition to rapid at-home tests.