6 more COVID-19 deaths reported in Clark County

Six more people in Clark County have died from COVID-19, bringing the statewide death toll to 38, the Southern Nevada Health District reported Thursday.

The deaths, which brought the death toll from the disease caused by the coronavirus to 34 in the county, occurred as the number of cases reported by the district surged to 1,125, up from 961 on Wednesday. The district did not provide details on those cases.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Nevada also jumped on Thursday, increasing to 1,458 from 1,279 on Wednesday, according to state data.

The state caseload of the disease was derived from tests on 14,046 people and represents an infection rate of approximately 10 percent of those tested, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services’ nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website. That rate is likely elevated, however, because of an ongoing shortage of testing kits that often results in only the sickest patients or those who have had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 being tested.

The other four COVID-19 deaths in the state occurred in Washoe County.

Most people infected by the new coronavirus develop mild or moderate symptoms and recover after about two weeks. But the World Health Organization notes that in more severe cases, “infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.”

In other developments:

— The Clark County School District reported Thursday that a food service worker who most recently worked at Desert Pines High School has died of COVID-19. The male employee last worked at the Las Vegas high school, which has served as a food distribution site during the statewide school closure, on March 23, the district said. The food distribution site is closed until further notice for deep cleaning and sanitization, it said.

— The Clark County city of Mesquite reported its second case of COVID-19 late Wednesday. It was the second case reported among the roughly 18,500 residents of the city, according to the city’s health.mesquitenv.gov/home website. Capt. John Gately of Mesquite Fire & Rescue said the city had notified close contacts of both patients, who are isolated and recovering at home, he said.

— A North Las Vegas police officer has tested positive for COVID-19 in the first case involving a member of the department, city officials said Thursday. City Manager City Manager Ryann Juden said in an email to staff members late Wednesday that the officer was diagnosed early Wednesday but was “in good spirits” while recovering at home.

— A student at the College of Southern Nevada who last attended classes on March 13 on the Henderson campus has tested positive for the illness, the college said in a notice posted on its website Thursday. The notice provided no information on the student’s condition. CSN reported on Tuesday that another student who attended classes on its Charleston campus also had tested positive.

— The Washoe County Health District reported that two more sheriff’s office employees have tested positive and raised its total number of COVID-19 cases to 184. A news release said the employees, a deputy and a civilian worker, had been diagnosed with the disease. The district reported on Saturday that a deputy at the sheriff’s office detention facility also had tested positive. The district also reported that 26 of the county’s COVID-19 patients have recovered. It is one of the few offices in the state reporting those figures.

— Officials in Elko County reported two cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total in the county to seven. County Manager Rob Stokes said in a release that two of the patients have recovered.

— Carson City Health and Human Services reported one new COVID-19 case and the first recovery in the Quad Countiesarea, which covers Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties. The agency, which has reported a total of 17 cases in the region, said the new case was a male Carson City resident in his 80s who was self-isolating at home and was in a stable condition. It provided no details on the recovered patient.

— The Humboldt County Health Board in Northern Nevada reported two new cases of COVID-19 late Wednesday, bringing the total in the county to seven. The new cases were a woman in her 60s and a man in his 70s, both of whom were close contacts of previously diagnosed patients.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Mike Brunker at mbrunker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker on Twitter.