Coronavirus live updates: Carson City man dies, third coronavirus death in region

This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day Monday, May 18. This story is part of the Reno Gazette Journal’s essential COVID-19 coverage and is being provided for free. Please consider subscribing to the RGJ to support our work. 

More:Memorial Day: Flag and flower placements on Saturday at the Nevada Veteran cemeteries

Carson City man dies due to COVID-19

6 p.m.

Carson City Health and Human Services on Monday reported a third death due to COVID-19 in the Quad-County region.

The individual was a Carson City man in his 80s. It is unknown if he had underlying conditions.

CCHHS also reported one new positive case and eight additional recoveries of COVID-19 in the region. This brings the total number of cases to 145, with 100 recoveries and three deaths. A total of 42 cases remain active.

The new case is a Lyon County man in his 70s.

Two Quad-County residents are hospitalized for the virus.

Sisolak names new state COVID-19 Response Director

4:25 p.m.

Caleb Cage was named the COVID-19 Response Director for Nevada.

The announcement from Gov. Steve Sisolak’s office says that the new and expanded role will “propel the State of Nevada forward.”

Cage was previously the state’s head of the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and most recently was working as a vice chancellor for workforce development over the state’s public college system.

In the new role, Cage will coordinate the response to COVID-19 through the end of the year.

Cage was an artillery officer in the United States Army, serving in Germany and Iraq. He has been an adviser for previous governors and lead the Nevada Office of Veterans Services.

Washoe death toll rises to 48

2:55 p.m.

One more person has died due to COVID-19 in Washoe County, marking the county’s 48th coronavirus-related death.

This person was a woman in her 90s with underlying health conditions, according to a release from the Washoe County Regional Information Center.

The county also said it has 10 new cases of COVID-19 and an additional 15 people have recovered.

There are a total of 1,266 cases of coronavirus in the county.

Currently 67 percent of short-term acute-care hospital beds are occupied, 42 percent of ICU beds are occupied and 25 percent of ventilators are in use.

Nevada reports 49 new cases

8:35 a.m.

The number of Nevadan’s who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 increased to 6,906 on Monday, an increase of 49 new positive cases.

That rise is comparatively low to what the state has seen for nearly two months. The last time Nevada saw a lower single-day increase was March 24, when there were 43 new cases, according to a Reno Gazette Journal analysis of the numbers.

But Monday’s small increase is not necessarily a good sign. While few people tested positive statewide, Nevada performed its smallest number of tests in several weeks — just 1,140.

That figure is eclipsed by the 6,500 tests performed the day before.

With 49 positive residents out of a total of 1,140 tested, Nevada’s test positivity rate slipped backwards for the first time since May 2. That metric, which measures the proportion of people who test positive on a given day, increased from 8.5 percent to 8.6 percent.  

The total number of Nevadan’s who’ve died from COVID-19 has not yet been updated on Monday and remains at 350.

Washoe County reports 54 new cases, nearly half from a nursing home

Sunday

Washoe County reported the largest one-day jump in its number of COVID-19 cases, with one nursing home accounting for the bulk of the infections.

More:Washoe reports biggest daily jump in COVID-19 cases, nearly half come from nursing home

The total number of cases from the novel coronavirus reached 1,256 on Sunday, according to the Washoe County Health District. The 54 new cases represent the highest daily increase seen in the county to date, according to the health district.

The spike in the numbers was tied to an outbreak in COVID-19 cases at one nursing home in Sparks, as well as increased testing and socializing by members of the public. 

Arbors Memory Care, a residential state-licensed facility, accounted for nearly half of the new cases, the health district reported.

This is not the first time that a Washoe County nursing home was tied to an increase in COVID-19 cases. Earlier this month, the Reno Gazette Journal reported on a Reno nursing home, Lakeside Health and Wellness, accounting for 15 of the 30 total coronavirus deaths reported in Washoe County at the time.

More:Renown CEO on COVID child illness: 'It is going to up the ante on the devastation'

Statewide, the number of novel coronavirus infections tied to nursing homes are even higher. As of Sunday, there have been 714 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from skilled nursing facilities and 80 from assisted living facilities, according to a state database. Of those, 462 involved residents while 332 were staff members.

Another death in Washoe County was also reported on Sunday. The 47th death in the county involved a woman in her 90s with underlying health conditions. 

5th Washoe County Sheriff’s Office employee tests positive 

Sunday

Another deputy with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has tested positive for COVID-19.

The deputy reported that he started feeling symptoms for the novel coronavirus at the end of his shift on Thursday, May 14. The deputy’s test came back positive on Saturday night.

Another deputy who was working with the law enforcement officer was also tested but the results came back negative. Six other personnel who worked around the deputy have also been quarantined out of an abundance of caution, according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

The deputy is the fifth employee of the sheriff’s office to test positive for COVID-19, according to Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam.

Nevada reports 195 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday

Sunday

Nevada reported 195 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday as the state saw its total count rise to 6,857.

A total of 80,637 Nevadans have been tested for the novel coronavirus statewide.

The death rate on the Nevada Health Response dashboard remains at 349.

The state reported that 6,500 tests were performed on Saturday, the highest number for a single day in Nevada since the pandemic started.

The cumulative test positivity rate also fell to 8.5% on Saturday. The World Health Organization recommends a rate below 10% for the metric, which is used to determine whether businesses can stay open.