Clark County held an online town hall Wednesday with University Medical Center’s Infectious Disease Medical Director.
Dr. Shadaba Asad says COVID-19 testing has become much more accessible.
“As far as UMC is concerned, you could come to any one of our Urgent Cares, UNLV has a facility where you can go and get tested for COVID-19. But you definitely don’t need insurance; you do not need a medical provider to go to these facilities,” Asad said.
Asad said patients not experiencing serious symptoms – such as shortness of breath or a high-grade fever – should not go to an emergency room.
Asad also said Nevada has most likely reached its peak in COVID-19 cases, as long as people continue to take recommended precautions. While the news is good, Asad said the virus is still serious.
“While we are optimistic, we are very cautiously optimistic," he said, "With these intense mitigation measures, with the cooperation of the public, we have succeeded in reaching a peak; we have succeeded in getting to a plateau. But this is not the time to lax all those social distancing measures and all the hard work that has been put in.”
Asad said only a few days of not practicing safety measures recommended by the governor and health officials could reverse all the progress the state has made in fighting the virus.