NEVADA (KTNV) — Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak ended the state's mask mandate on Thursday.

Masks will no longer be required inside most public places including casinos.

However, masks are still mandated in airports and on public transportation.

Sisolak also clarified that while masks will not be mandated on the state level, he said employers and organizations may still set their own policies around masks.

“Just like vaccines, masks are still a great tool we have to slow the spread of the virus. I expect going forward to still see Nevadans and visitors occasionally utilizing masks when they are out in public,” said Sisolak.

For schools, Sisolak says local districts can come up with their own policies.

Sisolak joins a growing list of Democratic governors who have announced plans to lift mandates this week as COVID-19 cases drop.

Nevada recorded its single highest day of new cases on Jan. 10 with 7,865 cases. Now, the state is averaging around 1,280 cases per day.

Meanwhile, the CDC recommends that everyone ages 2 and older should continue to wear a mask in indoor public settings.

This story was originally reported by Abel Garcia and Amy Abdelsayed on ktnv.com.

LAS VEGAS — A newly-launched tool by Nevada state officials gives digital access to their COVID-19 vaccination records through QR codes.

SMART Health QR Code uses data stored in Nevada WebIZ, the statewide immunization information system.

The codes, unique to each individual, have the same information as a CDC vaccine card: name, date of birth, vaccine date, and type.

It serves as an official State of Nevada digital record that a SMART Health verifier app can only scan.

How to get a SMART Health QR Code

To get a unique QR code that contains the same information as your CDC vaccine card, visit izrecord.nv.gov and search for your record.

According to a FAQ sheet from the state, the SMART Health Card QR Code will be visible at the bottom of the COVID-19 Vaccination Record.

Download your record and save your QR code as a digital file on your phone, computer, or anywhere you store your digital information.

Is the information secure?

The state says the SMART Health QR Codes are generated at random each time you pull the immunization record. They are not stored on a server.

SMART Health QR Codes do not link to Nevada WebIZ to verify the information.

All patient and COVID-19 vaccine information is stored in the SMART Health QR Code, protected by cryptography.

A regular smartphone camera cannot scan this QR code, and only verified mobile apps can interpret the data.

How to get help

If your record is incorrect or you can't find it, the state has a COVID-19 Helpline at 1 (800) 401-0946.

To learn more, check out the FAQ sheet or visit nvhealthresponse.nv.gov.

Information provided by Nevada Health Response.

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada's largest private employer, MGM Resorts International, has announced sweeping new options for guests and conventions at its properties as well as unveiling a new on-site vaccine clinic for employees and their families inside Mandalay Bay.

The company says employees can go while they are on the clock to get a shot.

"It's been really incredible to see our employees come in," said Ashley Eddy with MGM Resorts International.

Next Tuesday, MGM will open the vaccine offer for their property entertainers as well as employees at venues located within MGM hotel and casinos.

"I think the biggest needle movers is getting those big citywide, those big conferences and conventions back," said John Flynn, vice president of administration for MGM Resorts International.

"Getting a lot of people back in our theaters and a lot of people back in T-Mobile Arena at Golden Knights games, that's the target, we just have to keep doing things in the right direction," added Flynn.

The company is also trying to jump start the convention business and announced multiple partnerships to help facilitate testing and screening of participants of larger events.

"It's all about perception and removing barriers whether it's talking about conventioneers or just the average leisure visitor," said Anthony Curtis of LasVegasAdvisor.com

Curtis calls the announcements "significant" and positions Las Vegas and specifically MGM Resorts International as a leader in safety for the return of large conventions.

MGM also announced guests can request in-room COVID testing with costs between $140 and $230 dollars.

This article was written by Joe Bartels for KTNV.

CARSON CITY — During Wednesday’s public federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services says it learned that a Nevadan was one of the six reported serious reactions to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

The state of Nevada was not informed of the reported reaction until the live, public meeting on Wednesday, according to the Nevada Health Response team. At that time, it was reported that the person in Nevada is an 18-year-old woman who reported a blood clot and a hemorrhage without an immediate word of recovery.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a joint statement recommending a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine while six serious reactions were investigated.

Also on Tuesday, the state of Nevada paused the use of the vaccine.

"Right now, the risk of death from the disease is very high. The risk of the vaccinations very, very low," said Dr. Brian Labus, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "We don't want to say that you shouldn't be concerned at all about it, of course; that's why we're looking into things, but we're talking about something that is a very rare event if it is indeed related to the vaccine.“

Following Wednesday’s ACIP announcement, the Nevada Health Response team says DHHS immediately reached out to federal partners for more information and to understand why the report was not provided to the state.

"Whether the case was identified in Nevada or California or Arizona, that still matters to everybody, not just Nevadans," Labus said. "We need to look at what happened nationwide. And is not like Nevada has a role in investigating that one case, this is something that needs to be investigated through the FDA the manufacture to make sure that the vaccine is safe to everyone nationwide."

As of Monday, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered in the United States.

Anyone who has received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine within the last month and develops a severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.

Health care providers are required to report adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System here.

This story was originally published by Jordan Gartner on KTNV in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS — A Nevada 18-year-old is in a fight for her life after suffering an extremely rare and severe case of blood clots after receiving Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, according to family friends.

Family friends have identified 18-year-old Emma Burkey as one of the six cases of clotting in the U.S. that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating in connection with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“She started having seizures, then they took her to the hospital, and then they realized she had blood clots in the brain,” said Bret Johnson, a family friend who says he is in constant contact with Burkey's parents.

Luckily, Burkey's condition is improving.

“She’s starting to realize what has happened to her, where she is, slowly,” Johnson said.

Things weren’t always as promising.

“For a while there, her situation and condition was completely unknown. Very scary and very iffy, honestly,” Johnson said.

Burkey was first treated at St. Rose Hospital in Henderson, Nevada, where she was in an induced coma and on a ventilator.

Later, she was airlifted to Loma Linda Hospital in Southern California where she remains with her family.

The FDA and the CDC recommended a pause in the use of the vaccine last week after confirming six cases of a rare but severe blood clot disorder that happened after the patients had the shot. About 7 million people in the U.S. had safely received a dose of the J&J vaccine prior to the pause.

So far, the clotting had only presented in patients that suffered from thrombocytopenia — low levels of blood platelets — and those who had histories of blood clotting issues.

“This situation really rocked us to the core,” said Heiden Ratner, another family friend.

Ratner is the senior pastor at WALK Church, where Burkey is in the kid's ministry. Ratner says Burkey has also babysat his family's children.

“We were challenged, we were confused, and it drove us to prayer,” Ratner said.

The community has launched a GoFundMe for the Burkey family which surpassed its $10,000 goal in just four days.

This story was originally published by Austin Carter on KTNV in Las Vegas.