EDITORIAL: Sisolak catches coronavirus

Nevadans didn’t need another object lesson in how contagious the coronavirus is. The state got a new one anyway.

On Friday, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced that a rapid test showed he was positive for the coronavirus. The more reliable PCR test later confirmed that result. So far, Mr. Sisolak said his only symptoms are fatigue and mild head congestion. We wish the governor a full and speedy recovery.

“I again want to thank the health officials who assisted me through this process,” Mr. Sisolak said in a statement. “They serve as a strong reminder of how proud we should all be of our State’s health workers.”

Mr. Sisolak is hardly the only person recently to receive this disheartening news. On Saturday, state health officials reported more than 2,200 new positive cases, a new daily high. On Monday, more than 1,900 new cases were added to that total. Nevada’s 14-day test positivity rate was a record 15.4 percent, as of Monday.

What’s happening in Nevada is reflective of a nationwide trend. As of Sunday, the seven-day new case average was 145,000 nationally. That’s double the peak experienced this summer.

There is some nuance here. The United States has dramatically increased its testing capacity over the past eight months. The country is performing around 15 times as many tests daily as it did in early April. Testing is even up around 65 percent from this summer’s peak. It’s certain that many people who were infected this spring, especially in overwhelmed hot spots such as New York, had the virus, but were never tested.

There is good news, too. Doctors are getting better at treating serious cases of the coronavirus. A peer-reviewed study showed that death rates for hospitalized patients fell from 25.6 percent to 7.6 percent from March to August. That’s a better than two-thirds decline, which is a stunning achievement in such a short period of time.

The best long-term news — a successful vaccine — received another boost on Monday. Moderna announced its vaccine is almost 95 percent effective. Last week, Pfizer said its vaccine was 90 percent effective.

Especially with cases increasing, people want to know how they can avoid being infected. For months, Mr. Sisolak has implored Nevadans to wear a mask and socially distance.

What happened to Mr. Sisolak illustrates a more complex reality. People should wear a mask — not because it’s a cure-all — but because it lowers risks and there currently aren’t better alternatives.

Community spread is real and happening. Taking precautions is the prudent thing to do, especially given how lockdowns harm public health.