State and County COVID-19 Update

Record high positive test cases were reported on Monday, November 30^th, during the regularly scheduled COVID-19 Update call. Caleb Cage, statewide COVID-19 response director, stated that there are 152,169 confirmed cases to date. The current positivity rate (over a seven-day average) is at its highest since the onset of the pandemic at 17.3% with approximately 277 new cases reported each day.  

Nevada has a total of 1,405 confirmed COVID hospitalizations statewide. Northern Nevada reported an increase of 250% in hospitalizations within the last 30 days. Fortunately, according to Cage, the State’s healthcare infrastructure has enough elasticity to absorb the increased cases, even though some facilities are at critical limits. A total of 1,638,099 tests have been administered since March, bringing the overall positivity rate to 9.29%.

In Churchill County, community testing has been expanded to daily testing at the Fair Grounds to help accommodate the increased testing demands stemming from the rising number of exposures and individuals experiencing symptoms. As of December 2^nd, the county reported the number of positive cases at 360.

Banner Churchill Community Hospital reported that as of December 2nd, there were 15 COVID-positive patients with three of those in ICU. Banner also indicated that the ICU was at 125% capacity.  

The possibility of COVID reinfection is becoming an increasing area of concern. According to the University of Michigan Health Lab (UMHL), one induvial in Hong Kong and another in Reno reportedly contracted the coronavirus twice, with many more individuals believing they had it before news of the pandemic broke last Spring. The UMHL study concluded that if these patients’ initial immune responses to their first infection weren’t robust enough, they could be susceptible to getting infected again.

The Hong Kong man’s case was detected during a routine border screening; however, he was asymptomatic at the time. In the case of the Reno man, the first U.S. reinfection case reported last June U.S., the reverse was true– his symptoms were more severe during the second infection. According to genomic reinfection data, both tests produced genetically different strains of the virus thus contracting the virus may not provide total immunity against future COVID-19 infections.

Interestingly, Northern Nevadan’s are contracting a mutated strain of the virus.  As reported by Dr. Subhash Verma, Associate Professor with the UNR School of Medicine, “Northern Nevada somehow has a unique mutation which is in one of the proteins which make the virus replicate.” More research is underway to understand how this could impact the efficacy of vaccines as well as how the strain is related to the severity of symptoms experienced in Northern Nevada. While researchers are not currently able to conclusively predict the degree of protective immunity developed after contracting the virus. However, data is beginning to emerge that indicates many people are developing robust antibodies against the virus, effectively creating the same immune response as a vaccine might.

In Governor Sisolak's statement to the press on December 2nd, he stated that Nevadans should continue to be vigilant in their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID. Additionally, the first dispatch of vaccines should arrive mid-month.  If you are experiencing symptoms or believe you may have been exposed to COVID, please visit http://www.churchillcountynv.gov/816/Public-Service-Announcements for information on testing.