Third Douglas death from coronavirus reported in four days

A third Douglas County coronavirus death was reported in four days on Friday evening, bringing the county to six total during the outbreak, five of which occurred in the last month.

“People are scared because they think people are dying all over the place, and they’re not,” County Commissioner Larry Walsh said on Thursday during a presentation on the virus.

On Thursday, the 557 active cases in Douglas County came to within two people of the 559 recoveries, with 41 new cases and eight recoveries.

The Record-Courier has sought additional information about the deaths.

On Thursday, Carson City Health and Human Services Public Health Preparedness Manager Dr. Jeanne Freeman told county commissioners that she was waiting on the results of a test to confirm whether she has the virus.

“The numbers have skyrocketed in Douglas County, there’s no doubt about that,” she said.

Freeman said the numbers that started showing up before Thanksgiving reflected what was happening around the end of October.

“The vast majority report they get it from someone they knew was positive,” she said.

She said 55-60 percent of the positive tests across the four counties were the result of someone going to work while they were sick.

Community coronavirus testing continues noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday at East Fork Station 12 in Sunridge.

On Wednesday, Genoa Town Manager JT Chevallier discussed his experience with the virus at the board meeting.

Chevallier said his information was that there were multiple backlogs that contributed in the sudden jump in numbers.

He said that when he first felt symptoms he went to Carson Valley Medical Center for testing. They gave him an antigen test and a PCR test to confirm the diagnosis. That took 48 hours to confirm he had the virus.

“We’ve seen some significant jumps, so even if it was a statistical anomaly, it’s going in a direction we don’t want it to go.”

He suggested anyone with the virus obtain a pulse oximeter to check their blood oxygen.

“It was a good thing to have around for when I was having trouble breathing,” he said.

Carson City Health and Human Services, which acts as Douglas County’s public health agency, reported 1,080 total cases since the outbreak began in March.

A community coronavirus testing clinic is noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday at East Fork Station 12 in Sunridge.

For those who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have questions, call the Quad-County COVID-19 Hotline Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Spanish speakers are available. The phone number is (775) 434-1988.

For more information visit gethealthycarsoncity.org