Ex-Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has breakthrough case of COVID-19

RENO — Former Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval announced Wednesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, attributing only “mild symptoms” to being vaccinated against the disease.

Sandoval, now the president of the University of Nevada, Reno, said in a campuswide email that he tested positive Wednesday morning after having tested negative for the virus on Thursday. He said he would isolate and work from home for the next 10 days.

“The positive test result I received this morning and the mild symptoms I’ve experienced thus far also point to the fact that the COVID-19 vaccines are indeed doing their job,” Sandoval wrote. “I received my COVID-19 vaccinations earlier this spring and I am so grateful I did. Breakthrough infections tend to be mild when one is vaccinated and this is exactly what I am experiencing right now. I want to use this moment to encourage all of our students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated if you have not done so already.”

Sandoval thanked the university’s health care professionals, adding: “We should all be very proud of the public health workers throughout our state who, on a daily basis, are tending to the health and well-being of all Nevadans.”

He also urged the campus community to keep wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

The letter was sent via email and posted on the university’s website. Sandoval also tweeted the news, drawing a response from his successor, Gov. Steve Sisolak, who said he was “so glad” Sandoval “is fully vaccinated against #COVID19 and is only experiencing very mild symptoms.”

Sisolak and Sandoval attended Monday night’s Raiders game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas where Sandoval lit the Al Davis Memorial Torch just before kickoff. After learning of Sandoval’s positive test Wednesday, Sisolak “immediately began following the latest CDC guidance for fully vaccinated individuals who are exposed to an individual who tested positive for COVID-19,” his office said in a statement.

“The governor is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and at this time, the governor is not experiencing any symptoms,” his office added. “He will follow CDC testing and quarantine guidance as appropriate.”

Before getting elected governor in 2010 and 2014, Sandoval served as an assemblyman, a member and later chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission, attorney general and a U.S. District Court judge in Reno.

Contact Capital Bureau reporter Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DentzerNews on Twitter.