At the request of Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, the federal government is deploying more than 100 people to help enhance vaccine access and vaccine outreach efforts, Jeff Zients, the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator, said during a July 16 news briefing.
"Surge response teams are working with governors and local public health officials to provide specific federal health resources and capabilities to fight outbreaks due to spread of the delta variant," Mr. Zients said. "We're already helping many states identify and address specific needs, including testing, therapeutics and vaccination."
Case numbers are climbing across most of the U.S., with The New York Times reporting sharp rises in both cases and hospitalizations in Arkansas, Missouri, Florida and Nevada — states with relatively low vaccination rates. As of July 15, cases in Nevada have increased 44 percent over the last two weeks, while hospitalizations have risen 85 percent, reports the Times.
The White House is also providing Missouri with CDC technical expertise, including a genetics sequencing data analysis outbreak response, said Mr. Zients.