PAHRUMP – The Nye County office of Emergency Management is quiet on this morning. The decrease of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks provided a much-needed break in the battle for Scott Lewis and his team.

That respite is ending even as we meet as COVID-19 cases, rekindled by the presence of the Delta variant, are once again burning through America’s third-largest county. Persistent disinformation about the importance of wearing a mask to slow the spread of the virus has further complicated matters.

With a jurisdiction covering more than 18,000 square miles and just 25 hospital beds and no full-service critical care unit, a coordinated effort is essential in treating and transferring patients under extreme respiratory distress. And COVID cases arrive on top of all the other calls for service from rural communities and some of the state’s most dangerous highways.

Oddly enough, Lewis says, the September 2019 “Storm Area 51” Internet ruse gave county and state emergency responders and agencies a large-scale test run for an even larger rollout during the coronavirus pandemic. The mass casualty incident for which they prepared arrived not from outer space, but in the form of a virus.

Inside the office, Administrative Assistant Patrick Lazenby handles the communications as Lewis explains some of the logistics of 60-mile-plus patient transfers and Flight-for-Life calls. Glancing around the room, you expect to find a hat rack. Lewis wears three: He’s the county director of Emergency Management, the chief of the Pahrump Valley Fire & Rescue, and the interim county Health Officer for the past 18 months. At 60, Lewis has four decades of experience as an emergency first responder.

He also became the county’s COVID tracer.

“The majority of the cases that came across Nye County’s table we’ve investigated, either myself or with assistance from some of the folks who work here,” he says.

This past week Lewis watched the COVID cases multiply. COVID-related deaths are again being recorded in Nye County, and the system is once again stressed as the state reels under the return to battle stations from populous Clark County to rural outposts half a tank of gas from the nearest hospital.

The fire department he directs rolls on emergency calls. Emergency management coordinates with county and state stakeholders for a cohesive response with everything from vaccine rollouts in Round Mountain, Tonopah and Gabbs, to conference calls to discuss the latest medical findings and mediation challenges.

Until a few weeks ago, he made regular appearances before the Nye County Commission, which has expressed vocal opposition to the state’s closure of nonessential business and its mask mandates, social distancing and other practices proven to slow viral spread. He discontinued his reporting in part due to the falling COVID numbers, but admits much of what he had to say wasn’t being received.

“I went to the podium each time with science and facts as the forefront of my message,” Lewis says. “I never went into place my personal opinion into the equation, because I don’t think that’s appropriate. And I had always hoped that no matter who the listener was, they would listen to the facts and science and make informed decisions versus relying on other people’s opinions. I think that was the biggest challenge. And that challenge remains today.”

Abetted by several of his colleagues, Nye County Commissioner Leo Blundo has led an anti-mask crusade that has bordered on obsession. Blundo’s wife, Melissa, is a Republican activist who heads a group called the No Mask Nevada PAC.

During the height of the state’s business closures and mask measures, commission meetings often resembled glorified anti-mask rallies with Commissioner Blundo providing his opinions on everything from the applicable medical science to the threatened loss of constitutional rights.

Although Lewis mentions no names, it’s clear the confusion and outright disinformation have complicated the emergency response in Nye County. A day seldom passes without Lewis being asked about everything from the efficacy of the vaccines to the latest conspiracy surrounding mask wearing.

“It creates doubt,” he says. “Now we’re asking people to get vaccinated, and it throws a monkey wrench in everything. You have your doubt in the institutions. You have your doubt in the vaccinations. You have fear, fear of what are the symptoms are going to be. Is there going to be infertility on my children? It becomes a frenzy, and it can easily impact, and it does impact our ability to do the right thing. And right now, the right thing is to get vaccinated. It’s shown to be the only way to reduce the hospitalizations and the death rate.”

As they again prepare to battle a virus that fills hospitals and morgues far beyond Nye County, the facts matter now more than ever.

John L. Smith is an author and longtime columnist. He was born in Henderson and his family’s Nevada roots go back to 1881. His stories have appeared in Time, Readers Digest, The Daily Beast, Reuters, Ruralite and Desert Companion, among others. He also offers weekly commentary on Nevada Public Radio station KNPR. His newest book—a biography of iconic Nevada civil rights and political leader, Joe Neal— “Westside Slugger: Joe Neal’s Lifelong Fight for Social Justice” is published by University of Nevada Press and is available at Amazon.com. He is also the author of a new book, "Saints, Sinners, and Sovereign Citizens: The Endless War Over the West’s Public Lands." On Twitter: @jlnevadasmith.