Clark County residents most frequently visited restaurants, hotels, and medical facilities before the diagnosis of COVID-19. This is clear from new data released on Wednesday.

For the first time during the coronavirus pandemic, the Southern Nevada Health District voluntarily published a list of the most common cases in the county “Possible exposure points” on his website.

The data does not show where an individual is known to have contracted COVID-19. Instead, it indicates where an infected person traveled to in the 14 days before they became symptomatic or tested.

Dr. Fermin Leguen, SNHD health officer, said the data would be released due to demand from the news media and the public.

“It’s a way for us to actually save time,” he said.

Broad categories of businesses rather than individual locations are shown in the data. An undefined “other” category headed the list with more than 23,000 possible exposures. Last year, state health officials said the category represents businesses that are inconsistent with other categories listed.

This was followed by “food companies” with more than 13,000 possible Exposures, “Hotel / motel” with more than 12,000 and “medical facilities” with nearly 12,000.

Other top categories were “work”, grocery stores, casinos and schools.

The exposure site data is based on voluntary self-reporting by individuals who tested positive during the disease investigation or the contact tracing process.

The Health District website states that data on some categories was only collected in mid-October and that some places visited by infected people fall into multiple categories. The website does not state how far back the data goes.

The Wednesday release marks only the second time data on the Nevada exposure site has been released.

State officials released data similar to the review journal in a public file request in September.

At that point, the data showed that more than one in four Clark County residents recently infected with COVID-19 had one Hotel, motel or resort as possible exposure Page? ˅. Strip hotel casinos specifically outperformed the reported locations in southern Nevada in June, July, and August, the reports showed.

Before the reports were released, Governor Steve Sisolak said he was concerned that “half information” would harm businesses. The state health authorities soon ceased publication.

Leguen said the data for the health district was always of limited value. He added that the agency’s environmental health department will use the data to decide where to conduct inspections.

On Wednesday, Julia Peek, assistant administrator for the Nevada Department of Health, said she was glad the health district was sharing the information.

“While helpful in some contexts, it is certainly not a smoking weapon,” she said of the data. “So we have to look at this in combination with other things, but (we) are certainly glad that Southern Nevada is publishing what they can do that would help the public.”

Contact Michael Scott Davidson at sdavidson@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. consequences @davidsonlvrj on twitter.