The number of COVID-19 cases in the county continues to climb steeply.
The town breakdown is as follows:
Alamo has now recorded 23 cases. Caliente has 62. Panaca has 18. Pioche has 14, and four are reported from outside the county. That makes for a total of 121 cases in Lincoln County, which represents about 2 percent of the entire population and is a 64-case jump in seven days. Of those cases, 60 patients are still suffering from the disease while 61 have recovered.
According to Grover C. Dils Medical Center CEO Missie Rowe, this alarming jump will most likely continue, as they have already sent out more tests to be taken. The hospital’s Facebook page has committed to quickly reporting any changes in the outbreak. According to the most recent post on that page, “We are aware of community concern over the recent spike in cases. In an attempt to remedy this concern and hopefully help the community to feel armed with information, we will be reporting the current numbers on Tuesdays and Thursdays as these are the days when we are receiving results.”
Eagle-eyed readers will notice that the largest rises in numbers have come from Caliente, with its 26-case jump, as well as Alamo, where they gained another 13 cases in the last seven days. Rowe once again mentioned that people’s proximity to the medical center may contribute to the higher numbers seen in Caliente, but even Panaca has seen a two-case jump since last week. In addition to this news, Rowe doesn’t expect to see many of those cases recovering in the near future. She also mentioned that there is considerably more testing going on in Alamo than before.
Once more, the staff at Grover C. Dils urges people to follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and really “buckle down and do your part” to stop the spread of COVID-19.
These guidelines include washing hands often, avoiding close contact with others – including maintaining 6 feet of distance between the person who is sick and other household members and the same distance away from those who don’t live in the same household – covering the mouth and nose with a mask when around others in public, covering coughs and sneezes, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and monitoring your health daily.
The United States is seeing a major spike in cases throughout the country. Many hospitals are at or nearing capacity, according to multiple news reports, and over 240,000 Americans have died from the disease as of Nov. 11. Most cases are mild, but older adults and people with underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications, according to the CDC. It is possible for healthy people to develop complications as well, and those even with no or mild symptoms can spread the infection to others.
Testing is available at the Alamo Clinic, Caliente Clinic or the hospital emergency room in Caliente, Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Questions can go to the numbers below.
Grover C. Dils Medical Center: (775) 726-3171
Caliente Clinic: (775) 726-3121
Alamo Clinic: (775) 725-3364
You can also refer any COVID-19 reporting questions to admin@gcdmc.org.
This report was revised with new numbers released on Nov. 13.