Nevada records highest number of coronavirus deaths in single week
Nevada reached a sobering milestone Saturday when officials reported 56 additional coronavirus deaths to mark the most deaths recorded in a single week.
The state has recorded 299 deaths since last Sunday, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
That’s nearly 30 percent more deaths than were reported during the previous record-high week, when 231 fatalities were reported from Dec. 13-19.
The 56 deaths reported on Saturday was also the third-highest single-day increase. A record of 60 deaths was reported on Wednesday, followed by 59 on Dec. 31 and 57 on Dec. 16.
In addition, 2,648 new coronavirus cases were reported on Saturday. The updated figures posted to the state’s coronavirus website brought totals to 246,309 cases and 3,450 deaths.
The two-week averages of daily reported cases and daily reported deaths calculated by the state increased on Saturday. The average of daily cases rose to 1,813, while the average of daily deaths increased by one, reaching 20.
Meanwhile, the state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested who are confirmed to have COVID-19, increased by 0.1 percentage point, to 20.8 percent, according to the data.
As of Saturday, 2,210,776 tests have been given in Nevada; many people have been tested more than once.
The moving two-week average of tests performed has been fluctuating all week from about 12,600 to about 13,200. The average on Saturday was 12,864, according to a Review-Journal analysis.
The two-week testing average has reached as high as about 15,700 in mid-December.
The number of people hospitalized with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases decreased by 116 on Saturday, reaching 1,758.
Clark County on Saturday saw 2,064 newly reported coronavirus cases and 37 deaths, according to data from the Southern Nevada Health District.
The updated figures brought totals in the county to 187,893 cases and 2,603 deaths.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
