UPDATE: Washoe Health testing results for Huffaker students come back negative
UPDATE MONDAY: The Washoe County Health District (WCHD) conducted COVID-19 testing Friday and all tests came back negative including all students at Huffaker Elementary School who were tested. The negative result includes the family member (a Huffaker student) of the resident who tested presumptive positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
“We are relieved that we received no additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 today,” District Health Officer Kevin Dick said. “The Health District and Washoe County School District (WCSD) took extreme precaution by closing the school on Friday to prevent anyone from contracting the virus. I appreciate the cooperative effort of the School District to ensure the safety of those children and other members of our community.”
A statement from Kristen McNeill, Interim Superintendent, Washoe County School District:
“Parents, students and staff can rest assured that there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Huffaker Elementary School,” McNeill said. “We want to thank the Health District for their diligent work to ensure safety of our students and staff. I’m pleased to report that Huffaker will be open on Monday.”
As of right now, there is still only one presumptive positive case of COVID-19 in Washoe County. For more information on COVID-19, please call Washoe 311 (dial 3-1-1) or go to our COVID-19 webpage.
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Reno, Nev. March 5, 2020. The Washoe County Health District (WCHD) has received a presumptive positive case of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), the first in Washoe County. The test has been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
The case is a male resident in his 50s who is linked to the Grand Princess cruise ship outbreak. His condition is stable and he is self isolating at home.
The case has a family member who is a student at Huffaker Elementary School in Reno, Nev. Out of an abundance of caution, the Health District requested that Huffaker Elementary School be closed on Friday, March 6. The Washoe County School District has informed parents of the closure.
There are no confirmed cases at Huffaker Elementary.
“The Health District’s top priority right now is to investigate this case and identify close contacts,” said Kevin Dick, District Health Officer for the Washoe County Health District. “Our staff is working with the school district to help ensure safety for students and faculty at Huffaker, as well as the community. Additional information will be released as we learn more.
“We cannot stress enough that the most important thing people can do to prevent contracting COVID-19 is to practice social distancing, wash your hands with water and soap frequently, cough and sneeze into your sleeve and stay home if you’re sick. We ask that you inform family and friends of these preventive measures.”
While this is as serious public health threat, the immediate risk to the general public in Washoe County and the United States remains low at this time.
The public is encouraged to go to www.washoecounty.us/covid19 or call Washoe 311 (Dial 3-1-1) for updated information.
Media: A press briefing is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday, March 6, at the Washoe County Administration Complex, Media Room, Building A.
The Washoe County Health District is nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board and has jurisdiction over all public health matters in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County through the policy-making Washoe County District Board of Health. The District consists of five divisions: Administrative Health Services, Air Quality Management, Community and Clinical Health Services, Environmental Health Services and Epidemiology & Public Health Preparedness. More info can be found here.
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