The air rippled with relieved laughter as members of the Nevada COVID-19 Task Force traded smiles and hugs while waiting for Gov. Steve Sisolak’s entrance to Wednesday’s press event at the Grant Sawyer Building.

Sisolak’s congratulatory and at times emotional message came wrapped around the announcement that his band of selfless and dedicated volunteers was breaking up. Its life-saving work was complete, and it had a handsome annual report to illustrate it.

It was a time set aside for celebration – maskless, if you’ve been vaccinated – and a few questions from reporters. Special praise was heaped on task force Chairman Jim Murren, the casino executive-turned-coronavirus pandemic coordinator. Like other states, Nevada had the COVID-19 response thrown into its lap by the Trump administration, and Sisolak’s team dealt with logistical nightmares as it scrambled to gather medical masks and other personal protective equipment, develop competent virus testing and tracing systems, and help get Nevada children connected to their studies despite sweeping school closures.

The state’s system of emergency response has always been cobwebbed and has relied on the bankrolls of sugar daddies. Although Sisolak noted that some contributions to the task force were as low as $5, let’s just say it didn’t hurt to have access to the late casino king Sheldon Adelson’s air force, or the reliable largesse of the Engelstad Foundation and Elaine Wynn. In all, approximately three dozen entities contributed in excess of 90 percent of the more than $12 million the task force raised and spent.

It was put to use in a hurry. Donations helped purchase 4.25 million masks and loads of other PPE that flowed to first responders at a time when the state rallied to battle the spread of the virus and the darker nightmares of the unknown.

The work moved forward despite considerable misinformation and outright deception from an organized anti-mask and anti-vaccine contingent in the state tied to Trump’s Big Lie that the 2020 presidential race had been stolen due to widespread voter fraud. Good people did very dumb things under the misguided and dangerous “Stop the Steal” mantra.

Other than that, it was a walk in the park for the governor and his task force.

“It’s made a tremendous difference in our fight against COVID-19, and I am incredibly grateful for the work that they did and how they saved the state of Nevada,” Sisolak said. “I’m proud of our state, its leaders, and all of its residents for showing the power of public-private partnerships and the strength and resilience of all Nevadans.”

As Sisolak and Murren spoke, they described a pandemic emergency response being assembled in real time. From masks donated by nail salons and construction companies to a ramped-up do-it-yourself testing operation, innovation combined with humanitarian outreach and good old checkbook philanthropy.

All of it, under the black cloud of the unknown and the unspoken question: How bad will it get?

“In the very beginning I had this discussion with my chief of staff,” Sisolak said. “We were worried about legitimately having enough body bags in the state of Nevada. We worried about body bags. We worried about crematoriums and air quality, how bad it could get here, when they were predicting 30-40-50,000 deaths in the state of Nevada.”

Taking nothing from Murren, the talented task force, and the remarkable generosity of Nevadans who stepped up for the Silver State, the meeting left me with the nagging sense that someone was spiking the football on the 5-yard line.

Make no mistake. Until very recently, the state’s current COVID numbers were looking better. Nationwide, the raging wildland fire of virus that has led to more than 600,000 deaths is cooling. There is reason to smile again – maskless, if you’re vaccinated.

An attempt to balance the health of the citizens with the survival of thousands of businesses and the education of a generation of children proved a proverbial chainsaw juggle. And, unfortunately, it’s not over.

For all its efforts, Nevada has played a constant game of catch-up.

Its best response couldn’t prevent Nevada from having the nation’s second-highest test positivity rate as late as December 2020. By late January, according to the CDC, the state ranked second to last in vaccine doses received and third to last in shots in arms.

Friday brought more trouble signs: test positivity, hospitalization and case numbers were up. Las Vegas faces an increasing risk of emerging as a national COVID-19 hot spot.

The reasons aren’t simple, but Nevada’s numbers are nothing to crow about. (Nor is the volunteer task force at fault.) The state’s vaccination rate on Friday ranked nationally a middling 33^rd, according to the CDC, which qualifies as good news all things considered.

It’s also a reminder of how quickly things can change.

Like other states dealing with declining vaccination rates, Nevada recently resorted to a little bribery with the governor announcing “Vax Nevada Days” and an opportunity for residents to win everything from fishing licenses to $1 million – but only if they’ve had their shots. In a place where you’ve been able to get a vaccine jab with a beer and a lap dance, it’s safe to say everyone is getting an opportunity to become inoculated. It’s all pretty corny, but with the future of the state at stake they’re leaving few motivations untried.

With the ominous potential of a deadly spike as early as September, the unvaccinated are standing in the middle of the street waiting for the crosstown bus.

Meanwhile, having done its civic duty and more, the COVID-19 task force is standing down. Its work is complete. For now, at least.

As a grateful governor enthused, “Words can’t express how incredible they were. They answered every call, they answered every challenge, and they saved an awful lot of lives, a lot of lives.”

With a fire still burning, I wonder how many more lives will need saving, and how soon.

John L. Smith is an author and longtime columnist. He was born in Henderson and his family’s Nevada roots go back to 1881. His stories have appeared in Time, Readers Digest, The Daily Beast, Reuters, Ruralite and Desert Companion, among others. He also offers weekly commentary on Nevada Public Radio station KNPR. His newest book—a biography of iconic Nevada civil rights and political leader, Joe Neal— “Westside Slugger: Joe Neal’s Lifelong Fight for Social Justice” is published by University of Nevada Press and is available at Amazon.com. He is also the author of a new book, "Saints, Sinners, and Sovereign Citizens: The Endless War Over the West’s Public Lands." On Twitter: @jlnevadasmith.