LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Doctors and experts have said since coronavirus vaccines began rolling out to the general population that people should expect breakthrough cases among those who've been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
As LA County officials reinstate a mask mandate, the Southern Nevada Health District urges people to wear masks in crowded indoor public spaces whether they're vaccinated or not. And, as the Delta variant becomes more common in Clark County, breakthrough cases are being seen among both Las Vegas residents and visitors.
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Hawaii radio host and volleyball coach Chris Leonard spoke with KTNV sister station KITV and said he had been fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine in March.
"You see signs that say you need to be vaccinated, you need to be masked, but nobody is asking nobody is checking," he said.
Leonard said he had taken two trips out of state after being vaccinated, one to Las Vegas, and tested positive after returning to Hawaii from Clark County.
He said he was still dealing with a cough and the loss of taste and smell eight days after testing positive.
"We all get to the point where if you're fully vaccinated. The rules are starting to relax in several places where we start to feel a little bullet proof, and the reality of it is my experience has been anything but that."
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Despite Leonard's experience, the vaccines have been proving to be effective against serious COVID illness in most cases.
Dr. Dominic Martinello at Southern Hills Hospital said in early July that 80% of patients at Southern Hills Hospital are unvaccinated, and nearly 100% of intensive care patients weren't vaccinated.
Martinello said the average age of a hospitalized COVID-19 patient at Southern Hills had fallen from 53 to 41 further highlighting the need for younger people to get the vaccine.
