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Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: Nov. 18-24, 2020

Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS
/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: Tuesday, November 24, 2020

4:50 p.m. | November 24, 2020

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve Pleads With Residents To Follow New COVID-19 Restrictions, ‘Our Businesses Are Holding On By a Thread’
By Lucia Starbuck

In Nevada, nearly a quarter of all COVID-19 cases were identified this month, pushing Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak to impose new restrictions. The governor is calling it a “pause” — not a full shutdown.

For the next three weeks, everyone in Nevada will be required to wear a mask any time they’re around someone outside of their household, and most businesses will only be allowed to operate at 25% capacity. This includes casinos, restaurants, bars and gyms.

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve says the restrictions should serve as a wake-up call.

“Our businesses are holding on by a thread. People are not following strict protocols and it speaks to that. Obviously, going down to 25% tells you that we’re not doing that great of a job,” Schieve said.

The governor also capped public gatherings at 50 people and set a limit of 10 people in private residences.

Lucia Starbuck is a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project.

Washoe County Report
By Jayden Perez

Washoe County reported six new deaths today caused by COVID-19, the most deaths reported in one day there. The deceased are three females and three males, all of whom suffered from underlying health conditions. The new death total is 252.

Over 300 new cases of COVID-19 have also been reported. There are currently over 7,800 active cases and more than 22,700 total cases of COVID-19 in Washoe County.

There has also been a record daily number of over 2,800 new cases of COVID-19 reported today in the state. This is the fifth time that Nevada has had over 2,000 cases in a day.

Noted Reno News Anchor Dies From COVID-19
By Jayden Perez

Brent Boynton died of COVID-19 today, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.

Boynton was a former news anchor in Reno whose accolades include being a member of the Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame and being nominated for an Emmy. He also worked for KOLO and KTVN over his 30-year tenure in television news.

Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: Monday, November 23, 2020

5:59 p.m. | November 23, 2020

Washoe County Report
By Jayden Perez

Washoe County reported five new deaths Monday caused by COVID-19. The deceased are two females and three males. Of the five deaths, two had underlying health conditions, two did not, and one was undetermined. The new death total is 246.

Nearly 400 new cases of COVID-19 have also been reported. There are currently over 7,700 active cases and more than 22,400 total cases of COVID-19 in Washoe County.

Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: Sunday, November 22, 2020

6:14 p.m. | November 22, 2020

Washoe County Reports More Than 800 Cases For Second Day In A Row, Along With Five Deaths
By Lucia Starbuck

Washoe County officials have reportedmore than 800 new cases of COVID-19 for the second day in a row. On Sunday, officials reported 835 additional cases, breaking Saturday’s record of 817 new cases.

Officials also reported five COVID-19-related deaths: a woman in her 50s, a woman in her 60s, two women in their 80s and a man in his 70s. All five individuals had an underlying health condition.

There have been approximately 223,000 COVID-19 tests performed in Washoe County.

Reimbursements Available On Portable Heaters For Carson Businesses
By Lucia Starbuck

The Carson City Board of Supervisors authorized the use of CARES Act money for portable outdoor heaters for businesses moving their operations outside to better adhere to COVID-19 protocols.

Businesses that apply may be eligible for up to $1,000 in reimbursements. The heaters are for commercial use only. Learn more here.

Renown Health To Monitor COVID-19 Patients Virtually 
By Lucia Starbuck

Renown Health announced over the weekend the hospital will begin monitoring some COVID-19 patients virtually, while they’re at home.

Patients will wear a metal cuff on their finger that’s designed to track their blood oxygen saturation and respiration rate. They will also communicate their symptoms through an app on their smartphone for evaluation.

Renown officials say they started treating six patients this way last week and have the capacity to care for about 1,000. In a statement, they explained that home treatment can be safer for patients who are elderly, frail or vulnerable to complications.

Coronavirus Cases Surge In California Ahead Of Thanksgiving
By The Associated Press

Health officials say the number of coronavirus cases in California is surging to the highest level since the start of the pandemic. The California Department of Health and Human Services reported more than 15,000 cases Saturday and another 14,000 cases yesterday/Sunday. They come even before the Thanksgiving holiday that has many health officials concerned. A curfew took effect Saturday requiring people to stay home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. affecting most Californians.
Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: Saturday, November 21, 2020

6:26 p.m. | November 21, 2020

Washoe County Reports More Than 800 New Cases
By Lucia Starbuck

Washoe County continues to break its own daily COVID-19 record.

Saturday, Washoe County health officials reported 817 new cases of COVID-19 and 86 recoveries. That total surpasses the last daily record of 610 cases that was set on Wednesday.

Officials also reported four COVID-19-related deaths; all men, one in his 30s, one in his 60s and two in their 70s. All four had an underlying health condition.

82% of staffed hospital beds in the county are occupied.

And there have been more than 220,000 COVID-19 tests performed in Washoe County.

For the most up to date information please visit: https://gis.washoecounty.us/COVID19

Nevada Death Toll From COVID-19 Surpasses 2,000
By The Associated Press

Nevada on Saturday reported 29 more COVID-19-related deaths for the second straight day, taking the coronavirus outbreak's death toll in the state past 2,000. The state also reported 2,019 additional coronavirus cases, increasing the statewide total to 131,733 cases. There have been 2,011 deaths in Nevada. Seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases, daily deaths and COVID-19 testing positivity all continued to rise in Nevada over the past two weeks. That's according to data from The COVID Tracking Project and Johns Hopkins University analyzed by The Associated Press.

Nevada Facing Double-Bind Of Rising Cases, Slow To Recover Economy
By The Associated Press

As the coronavirus surges to record levels in Nevada, the governor has implored residents to stay home. But Democrat Steve Sisolak has also encouraged out-of-state visitors, the lifeblood of Nevada's limping economy, to come to his state and spend money in Las Vegas. The pandemic has put officials in this tourism-dependent place in a double-bind: trying to protect the economy while keeping people safe. With the state seeing a record number of new cases, Sisolak said he's on the brink of imposing new restrictions, but he's walking a tightrope.

California Enacts Nighttime Curfew As COVID-19 Cases Spike
By The Associated Press

California enacted a nighttime curfew on Saturday as spiking coronavirus cases threaten to swamp health care systems. The new restrictions say people should stay home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., except for essential errands. The curfew runs through Dec. 21 and covers 41 counties that contain most of the state's population. It's designed to reduce the spread of transmission, although some county sheriffs are saying they won't enforce the order.

Newsom's Child Quarantined For Possible Virus Exposure
By The Associated Press

A spokesman says one of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's children may have been exposed to the coronavirus at school and is in quarantine. Nathan Click says the child began a 14-day quarantine after the family was told a classmate at his private school in Sacramento had tested positive for COVID-19. He says the family is following state protocols, and the governor, his wife and four children have all tested negative for the virus. Newsom said last month that his children had returned to their school, sparking criticism as millions of public schoolchildren continue to study through distance learning.

Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: Friday, November 20, 2020

6:42 p.m. | November 20, 2020

Warms Springs Correctional Center Experiences COVID-19 Outbreak
By Stephanie Serrano

Roughly 90% of those incarcerated in the Warms Springs Correctional Center in Carson City have tested positive for COVID-19.

A total of 470 people incarcerated in the facility and 55 staff have tested positive for the virus.

Holly Welborn with the ACLU of Nevada, along with families of incarcerated people at the facility, are demanding Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak to take action.

“The governor should issue an order under that authority to mitigate this within NDOC and release those who can safely return to society,” Welborn said. “This is not an attempt to try to expedite some criminal justice reform agenda; this is a human rights crisis occurring in Nevada prisons.”

Among those they would like to see released are people whose sentence is set to expire in 6 months or those who are identified as vulnerable by the CDC.

Loved ones of those incarcerated said in a press conference this week held by the ACLU, that their family members were given just one mask at the start of the pandemic. In a recent press release, facility officials said they offer hand sanitizer and cleaning products upon request.

Headline: Washoe County Report
By Jayden Perez

Washoe County reported five new deaths on Friday caused by COVID-19. The individuals were a male in his 80s, a female in her 80s, a male in his 60s, a female in her 50s and a male in his 40s; all had an underlying health condition. The county also reported 312 new cases. There are currently over 6,200 active cases and more than 20,300 total cases of COVID-19 in Washoe County.

11:07 a.m. | November 20, 2020

Drive-thru Flu Vaccination & COVID-19 Testing Available In Quad Counties
By Danna O’Connor

There will be a drive-thru flu vaccination & COVID-19 testing clinic for residents of Carson City, Douglas, Lyon and Storey County on Monday, Nov. 23 from 2-4 p.m. at the Dayton Grocery Outlet in Dayton and on Tuesday, Nov.24 from 2-4 p.m. in the Douglas Community Center in Gardnerville.

Elko County Reports 34 New Cases Of COVID-19
By Danna O’Connor

Elko County is reporting 34 new cases and 53 recoveries from COVID-19.  Nineteen cases are currently hospitalized with the virus.  

Health officials report 2,198 confirmed cases of COVID 19 in Elko County;1,820 people have recovered from the virus and 16 people have died.

Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: Thursday, November 19, 2020

7:40 p.m. | November 19, 2020

Washoe COVID Cases Continue To Spike
By Paul Boger

The number of COVID-19 cases surpassed 20,000 in Washoe County on Thursday. That's after health officials reported 304 new cases of the novel coronavirus as well as five additional deaths.

There are 6,020 active cases, another first for the area, and 227 people in Washoe County have died from COVID-19.

In the Quad-Counties region, health officials reported 42 new cases and 46 additional recoveries.

In all, Carson City Health and Human Services reported 2,835 total cases and 27 deaths on Thursday, while 714 cases remain active.

Statewide, the Nevada Health Response's Online Dashboard reported 1,696 new cases of COVID-19 and six additional deaths.

As of Thursday, 127,875 people have contracted the disease in Nevada and 1,953 people have died.

The state’s 14-day test positivity rate is 15.6%.

Washoe County Schools Move To Distance Learning
By Paul Boger

The Washoe County School District may soon move to distance learning for all schools.

The recommendation from Superintendent Kristen McNeill is that all schools in the district move to distance learning starting on December 7 until January 19, at the earliest.

Her recommendation was posted online as an agenda item for the district's board of trustees meeting next week.

McNeill and other school officials, have, until now, resisted calls to switch to full distance learning, arguing students were socially, emotionally and academically harmed by the practice.

However, Nevada has also seen a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks.

According to board documents, the decision to move to distance learning is due to the growing challenges of getting tested for the coronavirus as well as the need for more contact tracing within the district.

Washoe County Governments Approve ‘Super Shelter’
By Paul Boger

Local leaders in Washoe County have approved a plan to use nearly $17 million of federal CARES Act money to build a “super shelter” for the homeless at the Governor's Bowl in Reno.

According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, officials from the Reno and Sparks City Councils as well as the Washoe County Commission voted nearly unanimously to purchase the roughly 14-acre parcel of land southwest of the Spaghetti Bowl during a joint meeting this week.

The move could more than double the region's existing shelter space.

In all, the project will likely cost more than $86 million, with Reno paying more than half of the initial costs. Sparks and Washoe County are expected to split the other half.

However, the county is expected to pay a majority of the facility's operating costs.

G.O.P. Lawmakers Urge Sisolak To Keep State Open
By Paul Boger

The Nevada Assembly G.O.P. is calling on Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak to keep businesses open despite the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the state.

In a letter, the 15 Republican lawmakers said a second shutdown would threaten the livelihoods of residents and small businesses still recovering from the first shutdown in March.

The letter also criticized the governor's handling of the pandemic; noting the state's unemployment insurance system "was inefficient and insecure" and that millions were lost to fraudulent claims.

Last week, Sisolak again reiterated the need for all residents to socially distance by announcing the launch of a “Stay at Home 2.0” campaign.

During a recent press call, Sisolak said he was weighing all mitigation options as cases and hospitalizations continue to surge.

Newsom Imposes Curfew As Covid Surges in California
By The Associated Press

California Governor Gavin Newsom is imposing an overnight curfew as the state tries to head off its own surge of coronavirus cases. Newsom announced Thursday, a limited stay-at-home order in 41 counties that account for nearly the entire state population of just under 40 million people. Starting Saturday, all nonessential work, movement and gatherings must cease between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The move comes only days after the state-imposed restrictions limiting business operations in those 41 counties, which have the most significant increases in virus cases. The order is slated to last until December 21st but could be extended.

Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: Wednesday, November 18, 2020

7:30 p.m. | November 18, 2020

Washoe County Report
By Jayden Perez

Washoe County reported a record 610 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. This number of cases broke the previous record by 49 cases and is the fourth time the record has been broken in the last 11 days.

Health officials are also reporting 441 recoveries. There are now over 5,800 active cases and over 19,700 total cases of COVID-19 in Washoe County.

Gov. Sisolak Doing Well Despite COVID-19 Diagnosis
By Jayden Perez

Governor Steve Sisolak announced that he is doing well despite contracting COVID-19; however, he warned Nevadans of the dangers that the coronavirus imposes on the state.

Sisolak’s diagnosis was on Friday and he said that his focus remains on the record numbers of COVID-19 cases that Nevada is currently experiencing.

“The majority of our counties are deemed at-risk of increased transmission of COVID-19. To be blunt, our state is surging and continues to surge,” Sisolak said.

Last week, Sisolak announced his Stay At Home 2.0 policy, which reiterated several social distancing measures. Since then, the state has not seen a significant downtrend in case numbers.

“The issue is that these restrictions only work if people follow them. If people continue to not wear a mask, if they don’t want to social distance or they refuse to comply with the group gathering… Saying them isn’t going to make them work, it’s people implementing them that makes them work.”

COVID-19 response director Caleb Cage said that Nevada continues to see exponential growth in COVID-19 hospitalizations driven almost exclusively by Clark and Washoe Counties which currently account for 97 percent of all hospitalizations.

When asked about business closures, Governor Sisolak said that he will have to wait and see what happens next week before coming to a decision regarding future mitigation strategies.

'Tired To The Bone': Hospitals Overwhelmed With Virus Cases
By The Associated Press

Conditions inside the nation's hospitals are deteriorating by the day as the coronavirus rages through the country at an unrelenting pace. Hospitals have converted parking garages, chapels, cafeterias, and waiting rooms into patient rooms. Fatigue is setting in among a beleaguered workforce of medical workers. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. has doubled in the past month and set new records every day this week. As of Tuesday, more than 76,000 people were hospitalized with the virus nationally. Nevada continues to see exponential growth in COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to state officials. That growth is driven almost exclusively by Clark and Washoe Counties, which currently account for 97 percent of all hospitalizations.

Get Caught Up:

November 17, 2020 | Regional Updates

  • Nevada Reaches Almost 2,000 New COVID-19 Cases Monday
  • Washoe County Announces Record Breaking COVID-19 Case Count Sunday
  • Hundreds Of Inmates In Carson City Test Positive
  • Washoe County Reports More Than 500 New Cases In Single Day
  • Governor Steve Sisolak Tests Positive For COVID-19
  • Renown Opens Alternate Site For COVID-19 Patients

For continued updates on the novel coronavirus in Nevada, visit our related stories page.

Danna has been with KUNR Public Radio since 1995. She started as a weekend announcer, then full time jazz host and in 2008 became the local host for NPR’s Morning Edition.
Michelle Billman is a former news director at KUNR Public Radio.
Paul Boger is a former reporter at KUNR Public Radio.
Stephanie Serrano (she/her/ella) is an award-winning multimedia bilingual journalist based in Reno, Nevada. Her reporting is powered by character-driven stories and is rooted in sound-rich audio. Her storytelling works to share the experiences of unserved communities in regards to education, race, affordable housing and sports.
Lucia Starbuck is an award-winning political journalist and the host of KUNR’s monthly show Purple Politics Nevada. She is passionate about reporting during election season, attending community events, and talking to people about the issues that matter most to them.
Jayden Perez is a former web producer and student reporter at KUNR Public Radio.
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