COVID testing numbers released yesterday by Churchill County show a second death related to the virus. The county is not releasing any further information about that person due to privacy concerns.
In total there have been 5,522 tests administered by various agencies and facilities since March, including Banner Churchill Hospital, Renown Clinic, Fallon Tribe, NAS Fallon, and Churchill County. There are currently 14 active COVID cases, 99 people have recovered from the virus, and one person is currently hospitalized. Churchill County has had a total of 115 positive cases since March, with 43 of those being asymptomatic.
This is the third week in a row that Churchill County has fallen in Governor Sisolak’s “red” category, by not meeting the stipulated requirements for positive percentages. County staff continues to work with the Task Force to align the State’s duplicated and the County’s unduplicated numbers. So far, no state mitigation requirements have been implemented.
According to the Sisolak directive from August 3rd, “Road to Recovery, Moving to a New Normal,” counties are monitored for an Elevated Disease Transmission by reviewing the 30-day case rate and 14-day testing positivity rate to assess the level of COVID-19 burden in a county. For each measure, the higher the number, the more a county is impacted by COVID-19.
The specific criteria for ongoing assessment of counties and assignment to red, yellow, or green mitigation levels are as follows:
1. Average number of tests per day (per 100,000) < 150. The average number of molecular tests resulted during the previous week in a county, divided by the number of people living in the county. This number is then multiplied by 100,000 to control for varying populations in counties. Due to reporting delay, this is reported over a 14-day period with a 7-day lag. Counties that average fewer than 150 tests per day will meet this criterion.
2. Case rate (per 100,000) > 200. The total number of cases diagnosed and reported over a 30-day period divided by the number of people living in the county. This number is then multiplied by 100,000 to control for varying populations in counties. Counties with a case rate greater than 200 per 100,000 will meet this criterion.
3. Case rate (per 100,000) > 50 AND testing positivity > 7.0%. This is reported over a 14-day period with a 7-day lag. The total number of confirmed cases (identified via positive molecular tests) divided by the total number of unique people tested (molecular only). This number is then multiplied by 100 to get a percentage. Due to reporting delay (which may be different between positive and negative tests), there is a 7-day lag. Counties with a test positivity > 7.0% paired with case rate greater than 50 per 100,000 will meet this criterion.
A county is flagged for elevated disease transmission if it meets two of the three criteria in consecutive weeks, which could result in changing the county’s mitigation level.
A report by Churchill County, made to the State COVID-19 Task Force dated September 2, 2020 included the following information:
Overall Assessment:
Churchill County is requesting the statewide COVID Task Force waive these results and allow
us to use the unduplicated number over the next three weeks thus removing us from the ‘red
flag’ status. Our current status is 115 total positives, (66 of those in the recovered status), no
hospitalizations, and a cumulative positivity rate of 3.2% placing us in the lower half of rates of
Nevada counties.
State Positivity Rate Calculation:
653 tests total of which 70 were positive = 10.7% Test Positivity Rate
Calculation: 70/653 = .1071975 x 100 = 10.71975 rounded to 10.7%
County Positivity Rate Calculation with duplication removed:
During same time period, county data shows 36 total positive individuals. If the county had not retested 34 of the 36 positive individuals resulting in one additional positive test and one additional negative test for each of those 34 individuals, our results would reflect:
- 70 duplicated positives minus 36 unduplicated individual positives = 34 duplicated positives
- 653 total tests minus 34 duplicate positive tests AND 34 duplicate negative tests = 585 total tests
- The adjusted total test count of 585 tests reflects a change in BOTH the numerator
(positives) and the denominator (total tests)
- 36 unduplicated positive tests divided by 585 total tests = .0615384 x 100 = 6.15384 rounded to 6.2% Test Positivity Rate
- Straight Calculation: 36/585 = .0615384 x 100 = 6.15384 rounded to 6.2%
- Our 36 unduplicated unique individuals are the same individuals as your 70 duplicated positive tests.
Hospital Capacity:
As provided to the Governor’s Office daily through the NV Hospital
Association (August 24, 2020 Report) Churchill has maintained its initial surged hospital capacity as implemented at the start of the pandemic. We have no current COVID-19 patients admitted in the Banner Churchill 6% staffed beds occupied, 50% ICU beds occupied, 0% ventilators in use, 1 current COVID-19 patients admitted, and an alternate care tent on
location with 6 empty beds.
Churchill County PPE reserves include 1,800 masks and 500 gowns. The Churchill County
Sherriff’s Office PPE reserves include 300 bottles of hand sanitizer, 9,000 kn95 masks, and 300
face shields. Test supplies utilized for our community surveillance testing are supplied bi-
weekly through the state DEM. We have calculated our PPE need through December to support
continued community testing.
Testing Capacity:
Banner Churchill Community Hospital is performing the majority of symptomatic testing in the
county, with a total of 1,243 cumulative tests, and a monthly average of 250 tests administered.
The county’s weekly surveillance and trace testing results in an average of 600 tests administered
monthly. Combined we are testing 2.2% of our county population monthly. Currently,
surveillance testing takes place weekly on Tuesdays at the county fairgrounds with trace testing
taking place a couple of additional days each week.
Case Investigation and Contact Tracing:
Currently, contact tracing is done through our County Health Office with 100% case notice
within 24 hours and 100% case contact notice within 48 hours. However, the majority of the
time these notices of positivity or contact are made within 8 hours of the county receiving
notification. We have only seen two examples of hot spots and have mitigated those through the
entities or business owners.
Protection of Vulnerable Populations:
Currently the oversight of long-term care facilities is monitored through the State of Nevada,
with notifications from county contract tracing. Churchill County is engaged in ongoing
communication with these facilities to limit outside visitors and maintain surveillance testing.
The county notifies facilities if any risk is identified during contract tracing related to any facility
that serves vulnerable populations. This list includes but is not limited to The William N.
Pennington Life Center, Homestead Assisted Living, Tungland Corp Group Homes, Churchill
Area Regional Transportation, Highland Manor, Churchill County Social Services, and New
Frontier Treatment Center to list just a few.
Enforcement:
County Level Information:
Churchill County agencies include all county departments and law enforcement as needed. The
county has maintained its acceptable control of disease spread through the tracking system
developed by the state and has not had to take enforcement action to date. We have had
voluntary compliance when issues have arisen (restaurant closure). We have observed good
compliance of mandates within our community. Additionally, the county has been heavily
focused on public education through press releases and public service announcements provided
by county and city leadership. Within the past two days we also hosted our first virtual town hall
meeting in cooperation with the Churchill County School District.
City Level Information:
Since the initial Emergency Declaration in March, the City of Fallon has implemented and
followed an observe/receive, discuss, educate and then enforce policy to ensure compliance with
all of the Governor’s directives and regulations. This policy was set out by Mayor Tedford and
implemented by the City’s Legal and Administrative Director, the City Clerk’s Office, the City’s
Public Works Department, and the City’s Police Department. All of these city departments have
taken on this additional duty while maintaining essential services, like the provision of electric,
water, sewer and sanitation service and public safety to and for the city’s citizens and
businesses.
The city has focused compliance efforts in two separate but related categories. First and
foremost, the city has provided for the health and safety of our 100+ employees as well as
maintaining full compliance by all city employees. The city has seen it as their duty to lead the
community by example, e.g. ensuring that city employees are seen practicing social distancing,
wearing masks and following all other safety directives and regulations.
Second, the city has responded to either observed potential violations or complaints received
regarding potential violations by discussing, educating and seeking voluntary compliance from
the alleged violator. The community has responded well to these efforts, especially when they
have been contacted by the Fallon Police Department. The city has been able to obtain voluntary
compliance without undertaking more punitive enforcement measures
County Action Plan:
Churchill County intends to continue focusing on education, community testing, rapid contact
tracing response and voluntary compliance as illustrated above. We believe our data reflects
limited disease transmission. Currently, Churchill County represents .16% of the state’s total
positives and .15% of the COVID-19 fatalities in the state.
Information on the Sisolak mitigation and recover plan can be found on the Nevada Health Response website here.
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