REGIONAL INFORMATION CENTER UPDATE FOR APRIL 8
8th Washoe County Resident Dies From COVID-19
Health District Hotline: 775.328.2427
Media Contact: Adam Mayberry
Follow us on Twitter:
Twitter.com/covid19washoe
Reno/Sparks, Nev. April 8, 2020 – The Regional Information Center is reporting the 8th COVID-19-related death in Washoe County. This is the third death the Regional Information Center is reporting today.
The details of the three deaths are:
- Male in his 70s with underlying health conditions
- Female in her 80s, it is being determined if there were underlying health conditions
- Female in her 60s with underlying health conditions
COVID-19 case count reaches 326, four additional recoveries
The Regional Information Center is reporting 17 additional cases of COVID-19 in Washoe County and four recoveries.
- Total COVID-19 cases in Washoe County: 326
- Deaths: 8
- Recoveries: 35
- Active cases: 283
- Current hospitalizations: 27
Social Distancing Practices
The Regional Information Center advises our residents to continue practicing social distancing. If you are in the community whether as an essential worker or managing an essential errand such as grocery shopping or picking up medications, please stand 6-feet apart from those nearby. Additionally, the public is encouraged to wear a protective facemask. Social distancing helps flatten the curve, and our essential workers including but not limited to healthcare, grocery and convenience stores, gas stations, postal employees, construction, and transit workers appreciate the public’s diligence.
Virtual Town Hall – Friday, April 10
This Friday, April 10, is the first in a series of Virtual Town Hall events designed to answers frequently asked questions from our community. Tune in to hear directly from elected officials and experts from Saint Mary’s Health Network, Northern Nevada Medical Center, REMSA, Washoe County Health District and more. Tune in at 1 p.m. through the Washoe County YouTube channel, City of Reno YouTube channel or the City of Sparks Facebook page to watch.
Waste Management Commercial Row Station Reopens
Public drop off at Commercial Row transfer station has been reopened with new measures in place to respect social distancing. At this time, cash will not be accepted for payment. Customers may use a credit or debit card to pay. They may also use one of the four dumps included annually with their residential service, ID matching the account address or billing statement is required. Lockwood Regional Landfill at 2700 East Mustang Rd., Sparks is open to the public Monday through Saturday, 8 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Standard curbside collection of trash, recycling continues as scheduled. Updates available at wm.com/alerts. Sign up for text, email, or voicemail alerts at wm.com/mypreferences.
Access to Free Meals for Children
Working in partnership, the Washoe County School District and Food Bank of Northern Nevada are providing free meals for all children, aged 18 and under, at 20 sites across Washoe County. Families do not need to provide identification or information to receive these free meals. Locations and serving times may change. Meals will be provided twice a week at each site– either Monday AND Thursday or Tuesday AND Friday — unless otherwise noted below. Families will be given multi-days’ worth of meals at one time, and meals include one breakfast and one lunch per day. Meals are served in a “grab ‘n go” style, either in a drive-through or walk-up method. Other agencies are also providing meals to children and families.
Hospitals Prepare for Community Surge
Our local hospitals are preparing for a potential surge in COVID-19 cases and want the community to know they have set in place rigorous safety standards, beyond traditional requirements to safeguard the wellbeing of all patients. In response to this crisis, local hospitals are prepared to care for COVID-19 patients in the following capacity. Each hospital will implement additional safety precautions as needed.
- Increased the number of isolation rooms.
- Working collaboratively to secure additional ventilators.
- Identified and prepared additional areas within the hospital walls to cohort COVID-19 patients.
- Developed staffing plans for the expected increase of patients.
- Implemented respiratory ER entrances and processes.
- Established Alternative Care Sites on each hospital campus for the care and treatment of COVID-19 patients.
- Bed count is publicly reported and accessible through the Nevada Hospital Association.
Virtual Celebration for Health Care and First Responders
Let’s all join together – virtually – to celebrate our health care workers and first responders who are fighting to save lives! This Friday, April 10, at noon, go outside of your office or home, take your phone, and join your fellow Nevadans in clapping and thanking those on the front lines. You can video and post it later for all to see, or go live on Facebook if you are tech-savvy. Remember to stay 6 feet away if you are with others! And let’s sing – to the tune of “We will Rock” you from Queen, let’s sing “We All We All Thank you” again and again! Raise your hands, your heart and your voice to thank all of those working so hard during such a stressful time! Use hashtags: #LetsGiveThemAHandNV #GiveThemAHandNV. Media contact: Randi Thompson at 775-830-8407.
The COVID-19 Regional Information Center is working together to deliver COVID-19 community updates in a unified manner. Follow us on Twitter @COVID19Washoe. The entities include: City of Reno, City of Sparks, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Regional Transportation Commission, REMSA, Reno Sparks Indian Colony, Reno Police Department, Reno Fire Department, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, University of Nevada, Reno, Washoe County, Washoe County Health District, Washoe County School District and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. Also in the group are the area hospitals, Northern Nevada Medical Center, Renown Health and Saint Mary’s.
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