232 new COVID cases, 8 more deaths reported by Nevada

The updated figures posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought totals in the state to 323,481 cases and 5,578 deaths since the pandemic began.

The new cases remained higher than the 14-day moving average of daily recorded cases, which dropped slightly to 144. Deaths were well above the moving average of two daily fatalities reported during the same period.

State officials have said that it is normal for daily figures to be higher than the moving averages due to delayed reports and redistributed data. State and county health agencies redistribute the daily data after it is reported to better reflect the date of death or onset of symptoms, which is why the moving-average trend lines frequently differ from daily reports and are considered better indicators of the direction of the outbreak.

Related: Coronavirus in Nevada by the numbers

The state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are found to be infected, dropped by 0.1 percentage point, reaching 4.2 percent. The rate has declined every day this week, state data shows.

As of Thursday’s report, there are 243 people in Nevada hospitalized with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, which is nine fewer than the day prior. Although hospitalizations fluctuate day to day, the metric began trending down in mid-May after remaining relatively stable for about a month, according to state data.

Clark County on Thursday reported 212 new cases and six additional deaths, according to data from the Southern Nevada Health District.

Cumulative totals in the county rose to 250,785 cases and 4,399 deaths.

The two-week positivity rate for Clark County also decreased by 0.1 percentage point, matching the state average at 4.2 percent.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.