Washoe County today reported more than a dozen more people have died from COVID-19 since ominous warnings were given by health officials during a press call on Tuesday.
Washoe County has more than 9,000 active cases, and 274 have died from the virus to date. On Wednesday, the county had reported 258 deaths.
The Nevada Hospital Association reported, on Nov. 24, “Nevada continues to experience exponential increases in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the metropolitan areas. Currently there are 1,414 people hospitalized with COVID throughout the state. To help readers visualize how many patients this is, [imagine] nine Southwest 737-700s completely full.
“The majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are adults. Currently, only (7) of the hospitalized patients are pediatrics. There are four kids in the northern region and three in the southern area of the state.”
The association said that at this rate the “current wave will peak in the first half of December and will persist through the first half of February.”
The District Health Officer and Washoe County Medical Examiner on Tuesday warned people not to visit other households for Thanksgiving. They cited past holiday weekends during the pandemic that led to noted spikes of new cases.
About 75 people in Northern Nevada are in intensive care units for COVID-19. In Washoe County, as of Nov. 28, about 83% of staffed hospital beds are occupied and 59% of area ICU beds were occupied.
Medical Examiner Dr. Laura Knight said that funeral homes were filling up with bodies and refrigerated trucks may be needed if people keep dying at this rate.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts more than 4,000 deaths statewide–twice the current death toll–based on current trends. It also shows hospitals filling to capacity about mid-December and staying above capacity until February.
UPDATE: This article has been updated with new numbers since published on Saturday, Nov. 28.
