Nevada COVID-19 death toll nearly doubles in 3 days to 26

RENO — Coronavirus deaths in Nevada have nearly doubled over the past three days and quadrupled the past week to a total of 26 , health officials said Tuesday.

Confirmed cases have more than tripled from about 300 a week ago to more than 1,100 now.

The eight new deaths confirmed from Monday to Tuesday are twice as many as the previous single-day increase, when four each were reported March 26 and March 28.

Deaths attributed to the virus in Nevada totaled six statewide on March 25, and 14 on March 28.

Twenty-three have been in Clark County and three in Washoe County, according to the Southern Nevada and Washoe County health districts.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

In other developments:

— Washoe County reported its first positive case of the virus among the homeless in Reno. The individual who was discharged from a hospital on Monday and placed in quarantine housing had spent at least a night at the temporary shelter set up at Reno's Downtown Events Center and used services at another nearby shelter, a county spokesman said.

— Health officials in Las Vegas approved $3 million to build a 40-bed temporary hospital next to the Southern Nevada Health District office to isolate and treat non-critical COVID-19 patients. District board members said Tuesday they're looking for additional sites. They hope the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse 75% of the cost of the pop-up building.

— Las Vegas casino companies are donating food for the homeless and medical gear to fight the pandemic. Las Vegas Sands Corp. is giving 1 million surgical masks each to Nevada and New York, and 20,000 protective suits to hospitals and first responders in Nevada. Sands previously gave 100,000 masks to Las Vegas health officials, 5,000 masks to metro police and 1,900 coronavirus test kits to the state. Wynn Las Vegas promised 1,000 daily boxed meals to Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada

— The Burning Man festival has postponed ticket sales for this summer's counterculture festival in the northern Nevada desert. Sales were scheduled to begin April 8 for the event currently scheduled to run Aug. 30 to Sept. 7. It gathering typically attracts about 80,000 people.

— A judge in Carson City postponed the retrial of a man convicted of a 1995 shotgun slaying until Sept. 15. Jury selection was scheduled to begin May 5 for Peter Elvik, who served more than 20 years in prison for the death of William Gibson, 63. He he was paroled in 2016 shortly before a U.S. appeals court ruled his rights were violated.

Ritter reported from Las Vegas