GETTING VACCINATED HELPS LAS VEGAS STAY HEALTHY
The local economy in Las Vegas is based on tourism, and when visitors arrive, it keeps us all financially healthy – just as getting vaccinated helps to keep our community physically healthy. The pandemic has made these two concepts integrally related.
Making Las Vegas as safe as possible for those coming to our city to enjoy themselves should be a priority for all of us. Getting vaccinated is the first step toward ensuring the health of our families and our livelihoods. Intermountain Healthcare is doing its part by dedicating resources and supporting Nevada’s #GetTheVax campaign. However, it will take a concerted personal effort on all our parts to keep the Las Vegas economy sustainable.
ECONOMIC IMPACT ON BUSINESSES LARGE AND SMALL
A slowing economy affects everyone, from cab drivers to dry cleaners to blackjack dealers. A slowdown of the magnitude of the one brought on by the pandemic can crush businesses that are already operating on slim margins, regardless of size.
According to the Nevada Independent, nearly one in four companies nationwide closed temporarily or permanently in March and April of 2020. Closer to home, two-thirds of 2,630 Southern Nevada businesses surveyed recently by the Clark County Commission reported a decline in sales and revenue as compared to 2019, with the majority experiencing a decline of more than 25%.
The Road to Recovery Report from Alignable surveys hundreds of Nevada business owners, and the most recent report showed:
- 43% of businesses that received federal funding reported they would be out of cash by July
- 94% of closed businesses intend to reopen
- 23% of pre-COVID employees are currently off the payroll
WHAT WE NEED TO DO: HOW YOU CAN HELP
After decades of successful vaccination, measles was eliminated in the United States in the year 2000. The primary concern when deciding to get vaccinated is the impact your decision has on the cost in terms of human lives. We have seen that vaccinating just the vulnerable people in our communities has led to reduced hospitalizations and deaths. Now we need to stand up and support each other in these unprecedented times. Vaccination is the quickest and most effective way to create a safe environment and to stabilize not only southern Nevada’s economy but those of the US and world. Getting vaccinated not only protects your health, but the health of your friends, family, and co-workers.
VACCINATIONS PROTECT THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC FUTURE
As COVID-19 vaccination rates pick up around the world, people have reasonably begun to ask: how much longer will this pandemic last and how long before we are closer to being normal again? As the pandemic enters its second year, there is a bigger shift and acceptance to the fact that COVID-19 is here to stay at least for the near future. However, community (herd) immunity is achievable; but only with high vaccination rates. Without sustained vaccination coverage, this type of immunity wanes and outbreaks can recur.
The disease may not disappear any time soon, but if we make proactive and vigilant efforts that are within our ability, its prominence will wane. As we continue to learn more about this unique virus, sustaining community immunity will require continuous incorporation of the lessons learned, and constant maintenance. It will also require each and every one of us to get vaccinated to protect the health of our southern Nevada community, our economic viability, and the future of Las Vegas.
By,
Amit Bhardwaj
