Evolving coronavirus story frays Nevada’s lines of communication

CARSON CITY — As Nevada officials push to keep pace with rapidly evolving developments on the novel coronavirus, the most timely information available to the news media and the public is coming from those on the front lines — local and county health agencies and officials.

Information from state authorities, by comparison, has lagged. Though four Nevadans have tested presumptive positive for the virus and others are being monitored, no information has been released in a week by the state on how many Nevadans have been tested, been found to be negative for the virus, or are being tracked.

In some cases, confusing and contradictory information is being released by officials at different levels of government. And on some questions, county officials have referred reporters to the state, citing restrictions on what kind of information they are permitted to release.

The disconnect appears to also exist between the state and federal authorities.

“I can assure you that my frustration will be loudly and clearly expressed to leaders in Washington, D.C.,” Gov. Steve Sisolak wrote Tuesday in a letter sent to Nevadans aboard a quarantined cruise ship in which he complained about a “lack of information and misinformation” from federal officials.

Officials in Washoe County have held near-daily news briefings to provide updates since the first area patient tested positive for the coronavirus last week, broadcasting them live in some cases on social media. But county officials have referred reporters to the state for certain data on the virus, such as the total number of people in Nevada being tracked or tested.

No updates from state

But a dedicated coronavirus information page on the state’s Department of Health and Human Services website is being updated only weekly. As of Tuesday afternoon, it still did not report any positive Nevada cases. So far, four Nevadans have tested presumptively positive for the virus and at least one of those diagnoses, the first Washoe County patient, has been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At the other end of the state, the Southern Nevada Health District held a news conference on Thursday to announce that a Clark County resident had tested positive for the virus, the first presumptive positive case in the state. In the days that followed, health district public information officers responded to a reporter’s questions but could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The governor gave his last COVID-19 press briefing Saturday but provided little new information and did not take any questions from the media. Asked Tuesday morning after a Board of Examiners meeting about the state’s lagging information page, the governor said it would be updated later in the day.

Beyond the lag, public information officers for the state Department of Health & Human Services have not responded to emails or phone calls from reporters seeking additional information or clarification on matters related to the state’s COVID-19 response.

Public statements at odds

On Monday, the state health agency also countermanded an advisory issued earlier in the day by Carson City health officials regarding the pending return of 15 Northern Nevada residents from a quarantined cruise ship. A news release from the state said the Carson City announcement was premature and inaccurate and “does not advance our shared interest in keeping Nevadans well-informed and safe.”

Jessica Rapp, spokeswoman for the Carson City health agency, declined to discuss the matter Tuesday, saying only that the capital district “is ready to help our residents and ready to support whatever decision is made” on returning them home.

In the Washoe County Health District’s Tuesday briefing, health officer Kevin Dick said the information released by Carson City reflected travel arrangements for the Nevada ship passengers that, at the time, had not been finalized with the federal government.

“There is a lot of information and a fast-paced flow of communication,” he said. “The governor’s office has done such a good job of involving us in that communication. But that can result, with the fast pace that occurs, that something happens like that that’s a misunderstanding.”

Contact Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-0661. Follow @DentzerNews on Twitter.