Coronavirus: Nevada governor tests negative for COVID-19 after possible exposure
This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day Wednesday, May 27. 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.
Sisolak tests negative for COVID-19
6:55 p.m.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said his COVID-19 swab test came back negative, according to a press statement Wednesday night.
The governor was tested Tuesday after learning of possible exposure.
Sisolak had visited the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) in Carson City where an employee – who was not in the building at the time – later reported testing positive for COVID-19. His office learned of the positive test results Tuesday and canceled a planned press briefing that day.
Sisolak was wearing a mask and practicing social distancing during the visit, according to his office, and the person who tested positive was not in the DETR building at the time.
The employee was asymptomatic during the times when the employee was in the DETR building, according to the governor's office.
Lyon County reports first COVID-related death
6:10 p.m.
The first death in Lyon County due to COVID-19 was reported Wednesday.
The woman who died was in her 70s and had underlying health conditions, according to Carson City Health and Human Services. CCHS did not report where in Lyon County the woman lived.
She is the fifth COVID-related death in the Quad-County region of Carson City and Lyon, Douglas and Storey counties.
CCHHS also reported two new positive cases and one additional recovery of COVID-19 in the Quad-County region. This brings the total number of cases to 178, with 129 recoveries; 44 cases remain active.
The new cases are a Carson City resident in her 30s and a Douglas County resident in her 40s.
Three Quad-County residents are hospitalized for the coronavirus.
Washoe to offer testing for asymptomatic residents
4:30 p.m.
The Washoe County Health District will be offering free testing to asymptomatic residents starting next week.
The health district plans to open its drive-thru post and begin the weeklong testing on Monday.
The nasal swab tests will be conducted between 8 a.m. and noon Monday through Saturday on a first-come first-serve basis, according to Health Officer Kevin Dick.
The asymptomatic tests are separate from the antibody tests the health district is also conducting in order to determining the extent of the viral spread.
Anyone interested in testing can contact the Washoe County Health District by dialing 311 or calling the hotline at 775-328-2427.
Washoe officials worried reopening could lead to surge
4 p.m.
Washoe County health officials are worried reopening businesses could lead to another surge of positive COVID-19 cases.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Washoe County Health Officer Kevin Dick emphasized residents should continue to wear masks, maintain social distancing and stay at home whenever possible. The county is at its highest active case count of 618.
“What I think we’re seeing is probably some of the effects of the reopening of the economy as we reduce those mitigation measures that we had ...” Dick said, adding he expects to see additional impacts as more people come into contact others in the community.
He said staying home is “probably the safest place for people to be.”
Dick said following the health district’s recommendations could prevent an upward trend of positive cases as businesses slowly reopen.
On Tuesday, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced the state is continuing to make steady progress toward meeting virus containment benchmarks, prompting officials to loosen restrictions on nonessential operations.
Sisolak said the state will move forward with the second phase of its plan to reopen more businesses starting on Friday. That includes bars, gyms, spas, movie theaters, indoor malls and public pools, among other businesses.
The Washoe County Health District will mail certified pool operators a compliance checklist to expedite their reopening. The district will then send someone to inspect the pools.
“So, we’re relying on our certified pool operators do their job to make sure those pools are operating in compliance so they can be enjoyed by members of our community,” Dick said.
Occupancy must not exceed 50% capacity, or more than 50 people.
Despite his concerns, Dick said he supports Sisolak’s decision to move forward with Phase 2 of his plan. He recommended businesses owners encourage sanitation practices and social distancing.
He also said both employees and customers should wear facial coverings. Owners should also monitor employees and have them stay home if they show any symptoms.
The health district will also continue to monitor any increases in the number of cases within Washoe County.
“If we see things start moving in the wrong direction, the governor has assured us that he will step back with our approach,” he said.
Washoe County hits highest number of active cases
12:30 p.m.
Health officials reported an additional 26 positive cases and 12 new recoveries on Wednesday in Washoe County, according to a news briefing from the Regional Information Center.
In total, there have been 1,485 cases with 618 cases active, according to Health District Officer Kevin Dick, which includes the highest number of active cases in county so far. There have been 54 COVID-related deaths in Washoe County.
On Wednesday, Dick emphasized a recent spike in cases reported the day before were 10 days old. He blamed the spike in a delay in receiving the results from a contracted lab.
Dick also acknowledged that there hasn’t been a decline in cases.
“We’re remaining along a plateau,” he said. “We’re not seeing a big decline of cases.
“It means we still have COVID-19 out in the community. We still have spread occurring.”
He asked that community remain responsible by wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and continuing to stay at home whenever possible.
Number of known cases tops 8,000; no new deaths reported
Wednesday, 8:44 a.m.
The number of Nevadans who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 crested 8,000 on Wednesday, reaching a new high of 8,114 cases — an increase of 116 cases over what was previously reported on Tuesday.
Those 116 new cases came from a batch of 5,692 COVID-19 tests performed on May 26, according to new data reported on the Nevada Health Alliance dashboard.
That makes for a growth rate in testing of about 1.5 percent.
The state has not reported any new deaths as of Wednesday morning. That figure remains at 396 coronavirus-related deaths statewide.
The statewide rate of hospitalizations ticked up on Wednesday, with 108 current or suspected COVID-19 patients in the ICU and 48 are on ventilators.
Nationwide coronavirus updates:Half of Americans not sure they would get vaccine; groceries likely to start costing more
Nevada Athletics Department cancels Governor's Dinner
Tuesday
Nevada athletics is forging ahead with its plans to have a fall sports season, as normal.
But the athletics department will have to do so without one of its key fundraising events.
The 52nd annual Governor’s Dinner was canceled Tuesday, the university announced.
The dinner had been scheduled for July 9 at the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City.
It has been held for 51 years consecutively, with the inaugural event taking place in 1969.
Sisolak cancels speech and was expected to share recorded video
Tuesday
Gov. Steve Sisolak canceled his address on Phase 2 of Nevada's reopening plan because he was potentially exposed to the coronavirus.
He said his office will be releasing a recorded message later in the night on Tuesday.
In a statement, spokeswoman Meghin Delaney said Sisolak called off the event after learning he had visited an unnamed workplace where an employee – who was not in the building at the time – later reported testing positive for COVID-19.
Phase 2:May 29 marks start of Phase 2 in Nevada. Sisolak says 'we’ll remain cautious.'
Delaney said the governor is scheduled to take a COVID-19 test Wednesday morning. He later tweeted he had not experienced any symptoms in the five days since the potential exposure.
Bars, gyms, movie theaters, more:These businesses can reopen under Phase 2
Washoe sees 54 new cases
Tuesday
Washoe County reported 54 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, tying the county’s previous record for the highest number of new cases reported in a single day.
There is now a total of 1,459 confirmed cases in Washoe County.
Eighteen of the new cases are from the homeless population, according to a release from the Washoe County Health District.
Those 18 positive cases are from testing performed on May 14. The positive cases were recently reported following a delay from the out-of-state lab that was contracted to perform the tests, according to the release.
The county has severed ties with that lab due to the delay.
In addition to the new positives, the county is reporting no new COVID-related deaths. A total of 54 people have died from the disease.
The county is also announcing it will be scheduling community-wide testing for those who schedule an appointment during the week of June 1. Those who are not symptomatic will be allowed to schedule a test starting on May 29.