More than 500 visitors to Nevada have tested positive for the coronavirus since the state allowed casinos to reopen on June 4.
Between that date and August 15, at least 530 tourists were infected while in the state or soon after returning home, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The vast majority of the visitors tested positive while they were in Nevada. The state knows of only 11 who have tested positive after they returned home, an increase of just one case since data was last released.
The numbers aren't as bad as they seem, however.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Association, 2,503,000 visitors came to just Las Vegas alone - not counting Reno, Lake Tahoe or Carson City - in the months of June and July.
Las Vegas tourism still isn't anywhere near its normal numbers but, still, to have just 530 positives tests is infinitesimal. That said, the newspaper did quote Professor Samuel Scarpino, head of Northeastern University's Emergent Epidemics Lab, said saying the low number likely reflects an "antiquated" interstate disease reporting system.
"My hunch would be that those numbers are low because of reporting issues, not because they're actually low," he told the Review-Journal.
Nevada health officials say they can only operate with the data supplied to them by other states on visitors. So far, Nevada has been notified of such cases in Arizona, California and Ohio.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
