NEWS

Coronavirus live updates: Eighth Carson City resident dies of COVID-19, man in his 50s

Brett McGinness Jason Hidalgo
Reno Gazette Journal

This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day Wednesday, August 5. 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.

Eighth Carson City resident dies of COVID-19

6:25 p.m.

A Carson City man has died of the coronavirus, Carson City Health and Human Services reported on Wednesday.

The man, in his 50s, is the eighth Carson City resident to die of the virus, and the thirteenth resident from the Quad-County region, which includes Storey, Lyon and Douglas counties as well as Carson City. 

CCHS is also reporting seven new cases and 26 additional recoveries of COVID-19 in the region. This brings the total number of cases to 704, with 600 recoveries; 127 cases remain active.

The new cases are:

  • A Lyon County resident in her 30s with a connection to a previously reported case;
  • A Carson City resident in his 60s with a connection to a previously reported case;
  • A Carson City resident in his 30s with no connection to a previously reported case;
  • A Carson City resident in his 70s with no connection to a previously reported case;
  • A Douglas County resident in her 20s with no connection to a previously reported case;
  • A Lyon County resident in her 50s with a connection to a previously reported case; and
  • A Douglas County resident in her 70s with no connection to a previously reported case.  

78 cases, 1 death in Washoe County in past day

3:45 p.m.

Washoe County recorded 78 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday as the seven-day positive test rate jumped to its highest mark in 32 days.

County health officials also announced the one new coronavirus-related death, a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions.

The cases were discovered through 203 tests, the lowest number of tests since June 24. The seven-day positive test rate jumped to 8.2%, the county's highest mark since July 4.

Testing was at a slightly reduced capacity this week “due to the (National) Guard standing down,” Washoe County District Health Officer Kevin Dick told the RGJ. The National Guard had been activated on April 24 to assist with daily weekday testing, but the order had expired earlier this week. Their deployment has now been extended, and testing volume is expected to increase once again.

More:Washoe County returning to 5-day COVID-19 testing after National Guard extension

Of the 1,120 patients with active cases in Washoe County, 87 are currently hospitalized, down three from yesterday. One hundred and one patients were reported to have recovered over the past day.

Since the outbreak began, a total of 5,504 Washoe County residents — about 1 in 86 residents — have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Of those, 4,268 have recovered, and 116 have died. Overall, more than 77.5% of county residents with the coronavirus have recovered, an all-time high since the outbreak began.

Here are the rest of the latest COVID-19 numbers for Washoe County:

  • Active cases: 1,120, down by 24 people over the past day
  • Recoveries: 4,268, up by 101 people
  • Currently hospitalized: 87, down by 3 people
  • Total discharged from hospital: 404, up by 7 people
  • Total number of tests performed: 89,671, up by 203 tests
  • Share of staffed short-term, acute-care hospital beds that are occupied: 68%, up 6 percentage points from Aug. 4
  • Occupied ICU beds: 44%, down by 7 percentage points
  • Ventilator capacity in use: 19%, up by 2 percentage points

Nevada COVID-19 hospitalizations reach 943 

Note: This item has been updated to correct that the number of hospitalizations recorded on Wednesday is not a record.

Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. 

Nevada hospitalizations for COVID-19 fell by 29 cases to 943 after two straight days of record highs for the state. 

The drop in hospitalizations for confirmed cases, however, was accompanied by an increase in COVID-19 hospitalization numbers for suspected cases as well as intensive care unit admissions for the virus. The number of hospitalizations for suspected cases rose by 31 cases to 205. Hospitalizations in ICU's, meanwhile, increased to 320, which is up by 10 cases. In Washoe County, hospital ICU's are at 37% of capacity, according to Washoe County District Health Officer Kevin Dick. 

Testing saw a steep drop as Nevada grappled this week with a drop in the availability of National Guardsmen available to help with the state’s emergency COVID-19 response. Nevada reported 2,944 tests on Aug. 4, the lowest since the 2,055 tests reported on June 21. The number is far below the 12,183 tests that were reported as recently as Aug. 1. Regular Guard staffing should return next week following the deployment extension that was announced on Tuesday by Gov. Steve Sisolak.

Nevada also reported 28 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total death toll to 890. Nevada’s total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic started also reached 52,828, an increase of 649 new cases.

The daily positivity rate, which shows how many tests returned positive, fell from 16.2% to 14.3%. The latest seven-day moving average for the positivity rate went down by a percentage point to 13.9%. The World Health Organization recommends a rate of 5% or below for 14 straight days prior to reopening.

Here is a rundown of Nevada’s latest numbers:

  • Total tests: 650,621, up by 2,944.
  • Confirmed cases: 52,828, up by 649
  • Deaths: 890, up by 28
  • Number of hospitalizations for confirmed cases: 943, down by 29 people. 
  • Hospitalizations from suspected cases: 205, up by 31 people.
  • ICU hospitalizations: 320, up by 10.
  • Testing rate: 11.7 per 1,000 people per week.

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