Cheers rang across the bleachers at Damonte Ranch High School on a windy June afternoon, the jubilation directed at the sea of blue and green graduation robes moving en masse across the football field.
A voice rang through the air as the name of one Damonte High graduate was announced several minutes later.
“That’s my brother!” one young man screamed at the top of his lungs.
Just a little over a year ago, a raging pandemic ushered lockdowns, social distancing and even deaths in the Reno-Sparks community. Fast forward to this particular summer day at Damonte Ranch High School and the celebratory screams at the graduation ceremony were akin to a triumphant battle cry against COVID-19. This was reflected in the tightly packed bleachers, which were filled with people sitting elbow to elbow with nary a mask in sight.
Death reported in Washoe County from Delta COVID-19 variant
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A woman in her 40s with no known health conditions is the first Washoe County COVID-19 death from the more contagious Delta variant.
She did not receive a COVID-19 vaccine, the Washoe County Health District reported Thursday.
The county total of related deaths from the virus since March 2020 now stands at 685.
The health district has not immediately said if her death is related to one of the four Delta clusters, including one linked to a Washoe County kindergarten class.
But they are worried. It’s very concerning that a person with no underlying health conditions died because of COVID-19, said Washoe County Health District communications manager Scott Oxarart. It shows how powerful COVID-19 and the variants of concern are.