Earlier coronavirus cases confirmed in Nevada after 13 investigation

Nevada's COVID-19 response team confirms to 13 Action News there are earlier cases than the first one reported.

THE STATE'S COVID RESPONSE TEAMCONFIRMS TO 13 ACTION NEWSTHERE ARE EARLIER CASES THANTHE FIRST ONE REPORTED INNEVADA.

GOOD EVENING.I'M TODD QUINONES.I'M TRICIA KEAN.THE OFFICIAL FIRST CASE.....WAS REPORTED IN MARCHBUT...13 CHIEF INVESTIGATOR....DARCY SPEARS REPORTED THISWEEK...SOME PEOPLE ARE CONVINCED....THEY HAD IT.....AS EARLY AS....DECEMBER!

TONIGHT....SHE SHOWS YOU.....WHAT NEVADA HEALTH RESPONSESAYS.....ABOUT THIS KEY, NEWDISTINCTION.DARCY STAND-UP: WITHIN JUST TWODAYS OF OUR STORY AIRING, THENEVADA HEALTH RESPONSE TEAMCONFIRMED WHAT THE PEOPLE WESPOKE TO SUSPECTED.THAT THEY GOT SICK HERE IN LASVEGAS IN DECEMBER AND JANUARYAND THE ILLNESS WAS COVID- 19.MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE ATTENDEDCONVENTIONS AND THEY THOUGHTTHOSE EVENTS WERE SUPERSPREADERS.FROM TEXAS TO WASHINGTON TOCOLORADO, VISITORS TO LAS VEGASSAY THEY CAME HERE FORCONVENTIONS LIKE THE CONSUMERELECTRONICS SHOW AND LEFT SICK.SICKER THAN THEY'VE EVER BEEN.ALTHOUGH C-E-S HASN'T HEARD ANYOFFICIAL WORD OF AN ATTENDEEBEING EXPOSED NEVADAOFFICIALS ARE NOW INDICATINGCORONAVIRUS WAS LIKELY HERE ATTHAT TIME OR EVEN BEFORE.THE NEVADA HEALTH RESPONSE'SSTATEMENT SAYS, "BASED ONINFORMATION WE HAVE SEEN FROMOTHER STATES, WE KNOW THEREWERE EARLIER CASES THAN THEFIRST POSITIVE REPORTED INNEVADA.WE RECOGNIZE THIS IS ANATIONWIDE ISSUE." THE ISSUENOW IS WHAT TO DO WITH THATDATA AND THE REVISED TIMELINEIT REPRESENTS.ANTIBODY TESTING WON'T INDICATEWHEN OR IF A PERSON WAS EVERSYMPTOMATIC, BUT THE STATE SAYSIT'S THE LOGICAL NEXT STEP.DARCY TAG: THE HEALTH DISTRICTSAYS IT WILL NOT GO BACK ANDRE-INVESTIGATE CASES THATOCCURRED BEFORE MARCH 5TH,WHICH IS THE FIRST CONFIRMEDPOSITIVE HERE IN NEVADA.BUT STATE OFFICIALS SAYEXAMINING THAT DATA IS ANIMPORTANT PART OF THE OVERALLPUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE AND ITWILL HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THEFULL PARAMETERS OF THISOUTBREAK.THEY ALSO SAY THAT IDENTIFYINGANTIBODIES IN THOSE PEOPLE ISIMPORTANT IN DETERMINING WHOWAS INFECTED AND THEY ARE NOWDISCUSSING A STRATEGY TO DOANTIBODY TESTING OF THATPOPULATION.DARCY SPEARS 13 INVESTIGATES.VSTATION CASINOS IS ANNOUNCINGLAYOFFS!