As the COVID-19 pandemic still spreads across America, reports by the Reno Gazette Journal have claimed that almost a quarter of people infected with COVID-19 in the Nevadan region of Clark County, which includes the Las Vegas strip, may have contracted or spread the virus at a hotel, motel or resort.
This comes as casino properties have begun to document their own testing numbers, with the newspaper also sharing that Las Vegas Sands had recorded 399 positive cases at the Venetian and Palazzo venues since reopening in June. However, it is important to mention that not all cases were discovered during on-property testing.
Julia Peek, deputy administrator of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, also reiterated that there could be a connection between positive cases and the Las Vegas strip. She said that 26 per cent of those infected in the region during a 30 day period in August had visited one of the aforementioned facilities.
Wynn Resorts is another firm which has also provided a COVID-19 update, particularly when it comes to its testing and contact tracing program for Wynn Las Vegas. The company has previously pledged that it would offer public transparency regarding its efforts to keep guests and employees safe during the pandemic.
In total the group has conducted 15,051 tests of its employees resulting in 548 positive cases, for a positivity test rate of 3.6 per cent, these statistics have been able to be collected due to Wynn Resorts’ partnership with University Medical Centre.
Other results that have been shared include that 51 positive results were before the venue had opened its doors, whilst 497 were post-reopening.
The company has implemented a ‘Surveillance Testing Program’ since its reopening with the guideline testing groups of up to 700 employees every two weeks. An algorithm is then used to ensure a random sample is given, this aims to catch any employees who are positive for the virus but are asymptomatic.
Since beginning of its program, the firm highlighted that it has witnessed ‘a significant downward trend in virus positivity rates.’ Wynn Resorts’ latest round of testing which was conducted on September 11, only recorded one positive case from 285 employees.
Matt Maddox, CEO of Wynn Resorts, commented: “Our goal, by implementing our Surveillance Testing Program and establishing a robust in-house contact tracing effort, is to make Wynn Las Vegas the safest place our guests and employees can go outside of their own homes.”
The firm also says that it has welcomed more than 500,000 guests since reopening in early June, and its contact tracing results reveal that 98 per cent of the employees testing positive contracted the virus outside of work.
