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This breaking news story will be updated throughout the day on Saturday, April 18.

Nevada death toll from COVID-19 rises to 155 on Saturday

The death toll from coronavirus rose again Saturday; 155 Nevadans have now lost their lives to the respiratory disease.

The number of positive cases listed on the state health department's dashboard is 3,626. The number is likely higher due to the lack of widespread testing. So far, 30,751 people have been tested.

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18 new COVID-19 case reported in Washoe County

1:27 p.m. update:

Health officials are reporting 18 new positive cases—bringing the total to 606 cases in the county, according to the Regional Information Center.

Fifteen people have recovered, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 134.

In total, there are 465 active cases and 16 deaths.

Nevadans to protest Sisolak's state shutdown

11:43 a.m. update:

A crowd of people gathered Saturday at the state capitol in Carson City to protest Gov. Steve Sisolak’s statewide shutdown.

The protest started at 11 a.m. with a crowd set meet just south of Red’s Old 395 Grill. From there, protesters planned on lining up their vehicles and driving or walking to the state capitol.

Some participants were set to meet earlier Saturday morning at The Summit Reno and convoy to Carson City.

The protest was part of Operation Nevada, an event to promote the reopening of all businesses in Nevada.

Legislative police estimated between 150 to 200 participants protested at the state capitol, according to a reporter at the scene.

Participants were also planning on signing a petition to recall the governor and “raise awareness of government (overreach),” according to the organization’s website.

Event organizers described Sisolak’s statewide shutdown as a “tyrannical decision.”

“Sisolak has held our economy hostage for far (too) long,” organizers said on the event website. “We the people of Nevada demand that Sisolak reopens Nevada and all businesses.”

The event was organized to mirror a protest in Lansing, Mich. Several residents there drove to the state capitol in protest of the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order.

The event website goes on to say: “Michigan did it! So can we! Fight for Nevada!”

More protesters were set to gather at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Grant Sawyer Building in Las Vegas.

Organizers also asked supporters to wave an American flag at their homes, businesses, and vehicles.

Unemployment Insurance website down for improvement

10:50 a.m. update:

The unemployment insurance website will be down Saturday afternoon for site improvements, according to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

The site will be down from 1 to 7 p.m., the period with the lowest traffic, to improve system performance and access expansion for filers, the agency said in a news release.

During that time, all unemployment insurance functions, including unemployment insurance filing, won’t be functional.

Anyone who needs to visit the site can do so after 7 p.m., the agency said.

More cases reported in the state

7:45 a.m. update:

More positive cases were reported in the state, according to the Nevada Health Alliance dashboard.

The dashboard, which the state uses to keep track of cases and deaths, reported a total of 102 new positive cases.

The number of positive cases has jumped to 3,626, according to the dashboard.

Death toll spikes overnight in Nevada

7:20 a.m. update:

This item has been updated to correct that 29,762 people have been tested for coronavirus.

Nine more people fell victims to COVID-19 overnight, bringing the total death toll to 151 in Nevada, according to the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.

Despite the jump in deaths, the number of positive cases remained at 3,524. In total, 29,762 people have been tested, the state’s dashboard reported.

High chance Nevada has peaked

Friday

According to the Washoe County Health District, there’s an 80 percent chance that Nevada has already reached the peak of coronavirus cases.

Health officials have been using a model from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy lab that has been tracking COVID-19 cases. It also uses a statistical model of how the virus is spreading.

More:Washoe County says widespread testing for COVID-19 won't happen anytime soon

“There’s a 20 percent chance that the peak is ahead of us,” Washoe County Health District Officer Kevin Dick said Friday.

Health officials report 16th death in Washoe County

Friday

A woman in her 90s died Friday of COVID-19—marking the 16th death in Washoe County, according to Washoe County Health District Officer Kevin Dick.

So far, 588 people have tested positive, and 40 have been hospitalized. In total, 119 people have recovered.

More:Nevada among states hardest hit by coronavirus-fueled job losses

Dick said at a press conference that 54 percent of licenses and staffed short-term acute beds are occupied. He also said 49 percent of ICU beds are occupied and 28 percent of ventilators are in use.

More than 3,000 COVID-19 cases ravage Nevada

Friday

A total of 3,524 people have tested positive as of Friday, according to the latest data from the Nevada Health Alliance.

The increase represents a jump of 203 known cases from Thursday morning.

In total, 29,762 people statewide have been tested for the coronavirus and 142 people have died. It’s likely the true number of people that have the disease is higher than what has been reported from a limited testing capacity, which has restricted the number of people who can be screened.