101 new COVID-19 cases reported in Clark County as total tops 3K

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Clark County rebounded to return to triple digits overnight, with 101 new cases reported early Tuesday. The county also saw four more fatalities from the disease caused by the new coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 141.

The Southern Nevada Health District reported the new cases on its COVID-19 webpage, bringing the number of cases reported in the county to 3,099.

Health district officials estimate that 1,841 of those patients have recovered.

At a news briefing Tuesday afternoon with Clark County officials, Dr. Fermin Leguen, acting chief health officer of the SNHD, said agency experts have taken note of recent slight downturns in the number of new cases and deaths but want to see these trends continue before declaring that the surge is over.

“These are very recent numbers and honestly we haven’t seen a consistent decline in the number of deaths or cases in the community,” he said. “We need to keep our eyes on that. “

Nevada saw a smaller uptick overnight, with 107 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. That was a slight increase over the last three days but well below the level of new cases seen as recently as last week.

The state Department of Health and Human Services reported the new count on its nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website, bringing the total number of cases reported in Nevada to 3,937.

The state death toll from the disease caused by the new coronavirus was unchanged from the 163 reported late Monday.

The new infection total was derived from tests on 32,347 people, indicating an infection rate just over 12 percent. That number is likely inflated, as the severely ill and those who have been in close contact with a diagnosed patient are much more likely to be tested during the ongoing shortage of testing supplies.

In other developments Tuesday:

■ The Washoe County Health District reported 22 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total of confirmed cases in the state’s second most-populous county to 684. The district provided no details on the patients or their conditions. The county death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 18. The district also reported nine new recoveries, pushing the total in the county to 175.

■ Authorities in Humboldt County reported seven new confirmed cases of COVID-19, raising the total for the county to 34. The new cases involved six women ranging in age from the 40s to the 70s and a teenage male, all of whom were close contacts of previously diagnosed patients. Two people have died from the disease in the county, while five are listed as recovered.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Mike Brunker at mbrunker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker on Twitter.