LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Southern Nevada Health District says it will start posting daily summaries of COVID-19 cases by ZIP code and cities in Clark County.
RELATED: Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Clark County, around the state
COVID-19 CASES BY ZIP CODE (AS OF APRIL 13)
ZIP codes with the most reported cases of COVID-19 so far include 89031, 89108, 89030, 89110, 89107, 89117, 89121, 89148 and 89052 -- all categorized in the 61-83 cases range.
Download a PDF of the COVID-19 breakdown by ZIP code here.
COVID-19 CASES BY CITY IN CLARK COUNTY
SNHD's report also shows Las Vegas has 1,694 cases, North Las Vegas has 259, Mesquite has 6, Henderson has 250, and Boulder City has 18.
Download a PDF of the COVID-19 breakdown by Clark County city here.
Brian Labus is an assistant professor at UNLV in the School of Public Health and also worked for the Southern Nevada Health District for 15 years prior, and says the numbers accurately show the reported cases across the region, but there's more to the statistics than just case numbers.
He said some areas may have more cases due to a higher population. For example, the zip code 89121 is red, which means there are 61-83 cases, while immediately next door is zip code 89120, which is yellow, meaning there are 5-20 cases. However, according to 2019 data, the population of 89121 is 72,173 and the population of 89120 is 24,506. The nearly tripled size could be a factor in the increased number of cases in 89121.
In addition, Labus said income and access to healthcare can impact reported cases.
"Our poorest zip codes in town are going to have less access to healthcare, less likely to be insured and just have challenges even getting to the doctor if they wind up getting sick," he said.
Fewer people with access means fewer tests and ultimately fewer reported cases.
This means if you live in a zip code with more cases, it doesn't mean you should panic. It could be because there are more people or because it's a higher-income area and those people have better access to healthcare.
"It could be a reflection of your community has good health insurance, and you are the people who are getting to the doctor more frequently and getting diagnosed. It doesn’t mean the risk is any higher, it just means they’re doing a better job finding in some cases than others," said Labus.
He cautions for everyone to be cautious though because anyone can get the virus.
"The map really doesn’t tell you much about the risk in your neighborhood and it shouldn’t change your behavior, everybody should be doing the same things to protect themselves anyway."
Visit SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict.org for more information.
Visit KTNV.com/Covid19Tracker for an updated list of COVID-19 cases in the county and also the state.
