Douglas reports second coronavirus death

Douglas County reported a second death connected to the coronavirus outbreak on Wednesday.

The county also reported five new cases and one recovery.

No details are available about the death.

The number of active cases had been subsiding until Wednesday when it increased to 29 active cases and 414 recoveries.

According to Carson City Health and Human Services, that brings the total to 447 cases since the outbreak began in March.

On Tuesday, the Douglas County School District confirmed three additional cases in the school district.

Superintendent Keith Lewis said the cases affected a small number of people at Douglas High School and Piñon Hills Elementary School.

The last positive case in the schools was reported on Oct. 8. Tuesday’s cases brings the total in the schools to around 18.

Lewis said there is no indication any of the cases were contracted in the schools, which is supported by the fact school was out last week.

Alpine County, which managed to get through most of the outbreak with only three cases, reported two new cases on Tuesday, bringing their total up to 18 with 12 active and one hospitalization. No Alpine resident has died of the virus, according to Alpine County Public Health Officer Richard Johnson.

A surge of Alpine cases started on Oct. 29 and has seen 15 cases over the last week. Despite the spike, Alpine remains at the lowest risk level in California.

According to the state, Douglas continues to exceed state levels in two criteria with 294 cases per 100,000 in the last 30 days and a test positivity of 10.5 percent. That’s higher than Lyon County, where 14 residents have died in the outbreak.

The county’s case count is higher than Nye, Mineral and Humboldt counties. Douglas continues to do well in the number of tests per day, with 126.

The state lists the county’s population at 49,695 so its on-the-ground numbers are multiplied by two for the statistical 100,000 number.