Second presumed case of coronavirus is reported in Nevada

A Clark County man who recently traveled to Washington state, where the coronavirus has been spreading and 11 people have died, is the first person in Nevada to test positive for the virus, according to the Southern Nevada Health District. A second positive test for the virus in Nevada emerged late Thursday, in the Reno area.

The Southern Nevada patient, who is in his 50s and has an underlying health condition, has been hospitalized in isolation, officials said. His condition was not released.

Fermin Leguen, acting chief health officer, said the patient has a child, who has not shown any coronavirus symptoms and has stayed home from school at the Health District’s request. The school was not identified.

The patient was at a VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System facility, spokesman Chuck Ramey said. He was being treated by trained staff, and the risk of transmission to other patients or workers was low, Ramey said.

Ramey said the VA was screening patients and staff who met Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for coronavirus testing, and anyone at risk of infection would be immediately isolated.

The patient had recently traveled to Washington state, where community spread of the virus is being reported, and Texas, which recently reported its first travel-associated case, officials said.

The Health District was working to quickly identify close contacts of the patient, officials said. Those exposed to the patient were being asked to self-quarantine for 14 days, officials said.

Test results are considered "presumptive positive" until confirmed by the CDC, officials said. It should take 24 to 48 hours to confirm the results, officials said.

Leguen said the patient flew back to Las Vegas from Washington, and the district has contacted health departments in other states about people who may have been exposed during the patient’s travel.

Kimberly Hertin, a disease surveillance supervisor with the Health District, said the patient did not exhibit any symptoms of the disease on his flight, and merely being on the same plane would not necessarily constitute exposure.

"There’s a lot of determining factors on what is considered a close contact. It has to do with if the traveler has symptoms and how close in proximity that passengers were to that person,” Hertin said.

The Health District said the immediate risk from the virus to the general public in Clark County is low, and no community spread has been identified.

Late Thursday, the Reno Gazette Journal reported that a Washoe County man who was aboard a cruise ship had also received a presumptive positive test for the coronavirus. Officials there confirmed the case did not result from community exposure but instead from contact on the ship.

Gov. Steve Sisolak, who earlier Thursday extended his thoughts to the Clark County patient and his family, said the state has been preparing for weeks to respond to the virus.

"I urge all Nevadans and visitors to remain calm and follow all available guidelines on how to prevent the spread," he said. "We must all do our part to prepare and prevent — not panic."

Meanwhile, McCarran International Airport has been in contact with public health officials, who confirmed the patient’s travel to Texas and Washington State, the airport said in a statement, noting that it didn’t have additional details regarding his itineraries.

As of Thursday, the airport hadn’t been instructed to conduct screenings “or related activity.” However, staff had upped its use of “hospital-grade,” CDC-recommended disinfectant on surfaces around the facility, including escalators, door handles and kiosks.

It’s not unusual to increase disinfectant efforts during the flu season, but staffers have expanded the areas they typically cover, the airport said.

The virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, has infected about 97,000 people around the world and killed more than 3,300, mostly in China. In the United States, 11 people in Washington state and one in California have died from the virus.

According to the latest information from the state Department of Health and Human Services, which was updated Tuesday, 14 people who showed symptoms of the virus have undergone testing, which came back negative.

The case announced today, which is not included in those numbers, is the first to come back positive.

Another 208 people were being monitored as of Tuesday, including travelers from an affected region or those who have had close contact with a traveler. A total of 216 people have completed monitoring without developing symptoms or were found to have no risk.

"The No. 1 way we can prevent the spread of COVID-19, or any infectious disease, is to identify and contain," said Melissa Peek-Bullock, Nevada state epidemiologist. "This is what our public health system is designed to do, and we are grateful for our strong partnership and coordination with our local health districts."

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