Nevada’s death toll from COVID-19 rises by 16, to 102
The number of deaths reported in Nevada from COVID-19 topped 100 Friday with 16 new fatalities recorded, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
That was the largest single day increase announced by the state since it reported its first death on March 16 and the fourth straight daily double-digit jump.
“Unfortunately, today our State surpassed 100 deaths from #COVID19,” Gov. Steve Sisolak tweeted late Friday. “My thoughts & prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.
“I promise that I will keep doing everything I can to continue fighting this virus. #StayHomeForNevada”
Earlier in the day, the Southern Nevada Health District reported four more deaths from COVID-19 in Clark County, raising the county toll to 75. Those deaths are likely included in the latest state figure, though there is no way to verify that since the state doesn’t include details on where the fatalities occurred.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nevada climbed to 2,602 as of midday Friday, following the addition of 26 new cases in Washoe County, according to the reports by local agencies. That was 18 more than the 2,584 cases reported late Friday by the state on its nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website. Those figures often don’t align because of differing reporting cycles.
According to the state data, the confirmed cases were drawn from tests on 22,749 people, representing an infection rate of just over 11 percent. That number is likely elevated, however, because an ongoing shortage of testing supplies has largely limited testing to the seriously ill and those who have been in close contact with a diagnosed patient.
It is not possible to determine a fatality rate from the data because it is not known how many of those who died were among those tested, though presumably most were.
Early on Friday, the Southern Nevada Health District reported 135 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 to push the total caseload in the county to 2,144.
Despite the rising numbers, health district officials said at a morning briefing that some evidence suggests that social distancing and state-mandated emergency measures, such as the closing of schools and businesses deemed nonessential, are flattening the ascending curve of the disease. But they cautioned that it was too soon to tell for sure.
The district is “working on determining the effects of some of the interventions so far,” said Dr. Vit Kraushaar, medical investigator for the health district.
Area hospitals are seeing “flattening numbers of patients coming in with COVID,” but the district expects those numbers to increase, said Misty Robbins, senior health preparedness planner for the district.
Flattening the curve refers to reducing a major spike or surge in cases to avoid overwhelming hospitals. District officials did not predict when there might be a surge or when the number of cases might peak.
In a related development, the nonprofit affordable housing provider Share Village in Las Vegas reported its first COVID-19 case in a resident.
The campus, Share Village 1, formerly known as Veterans Village, at 1150 Las Vegas Boulevard South, provides emergency and transitional housing, and usually houses about 150 people per night.
The resident tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, CEO Arnold Stalk told the Review-Journal, and is self quarantined for 14 days.
“We’re following every protocol that we’re told to follow,” he said.
Contact Mike Brunker at mbrunker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker on Twitter. Staff writers Mary Hynes and Colton Lochhead contributed to this report.