Saturday COVID-19 updates: Washoe County hospitalizations lowest since Nov. 5
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The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has dropped to 139 in Washoe County, the lowest mark in more than 2 1/2 months, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services announced Saturday.
Washoe County hospitals reported 139 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, the lowest tally since Nov. 5 when 128 were hospitalized. Washoe hospitals also reported another 26 suspected cases in Saturday s data. In the northern region, the health care system is demonstrating signs of normalization, the Nevada Hospital Association said in a statement Friday. Northern hospitals report having capacity, including within the ICU. No facilities are reporting staffing shortages and some hospitals have begun demobilizing triage tents.
Liz Szabo
Kaiser Health News
As an emergency physician, Dr. Eugenia South was in the first group of people to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. She received her second dose last week – even before President-elect Joe Biden.
Yet South said she’s in no rush to throw away her face mask.
“I honestly don’t think I’ll ever go without a mask at work again,” said South, faculty director of the Urban Health Lab at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe doing that.”
And although vaccines are highly effective, South plans to continue wearing her mask outside the hospital as well.
Wednesday COVID-19 updates: ‘Appreciable declines’ in local hospitalizations
This story is part of the Reno Gazette Journal s essential coronavirus coverage is being provided for free. Please consider subscribing to support our work.
While COVID-19 cases continue to spike in Southern Nevada in the New Year, Northern Nevada has seen a sustained drop in hospitalizations, the Nevada Hospital Association said in a statement Wednesday morning.
“Nevada hospitalizations remain plateaued at near peak levels with appreciable declines only in the northern part of the state,” the statement read. Hospitalizations in Reno, Sparks and Carson City peaked 402 patients on Dec. 15, but have since dropped to 239 patients with known and suspected cases.
State breaks record for single-day COVID deaths
Nevada broke a record for the number of COVID-19 related deaths Thursday with 62 deaths reported over the previous day.
The previous record was 60 deaths, which was reported on Jan. 6. Today, it is with great sorrow that we acknowledge the passing of 62 Nevadans that lost the battle against COVID-19, a record high of reported deaths, said Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak in a tweet. This is yet another somber milestone in our State’s efforts against this pandemic. We have lost more than 3,600 fellow Nevadans.
15 deaths, 168 new cases in Washoe County
Washoe County health officials announced 15 coronavirus-related deaths and 168 newly diagnosed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
Washoe County health officials reported five more COVID-19 deaths and 239 newly identified cases of the virus over the past day, according to a Tuesday afternoon press release.
The deaths were those of four men and one woman, ages ranging from 60s to 90s. In all, 544 Washoe County residents or about one out of every 880 have died of coronavirus-related causes since the pandemic began.
Since the pandemic began, the county has diagnosed 38,652 cases of the coronavirus, a little more than 8% of the county s estimated 478,000 residents.
The county also reported 386 new vaccinations against COVID-19 issued by the Washoe County Health District on Tuesday, bringing the total number of vaccinations by the health district to 8,708. Seventeen other agencies also have received doses of the vaccine; vaccinations by those agencies aren t reflected in the health district s total.