Nevada COVID-19 cases, deaths top averages as hospitalizations slide

Nevada on Wednesday reported 464 new coronavirus cases and six additional deaths over the preceding day, but hospitalizations for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases dipped to the lowest level in more than a month.

Updated figures posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought totals in the state to 319,714 cases and 5,515 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

As of Wednesday’s report, 275 people in Nevada hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, which is 63 fewer than the day before. It was the lowest total number of hospitalizations since March 31, when 273 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, according to state data.

The new cases reported on Wednesday remained higher than the two-week moving average of daily reported cases, which dropped to 216. Deaths were only slightly higher than the three average fatalities reported daily over that same time period.

State and county health agencies often 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: Tracking coronavirus in Nevada through data

The state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are found to be infected, decreased by 0.1 percentage points on Wednesday, to 5.4 percent. The rate climbed from a low of 4.2 percent at the end of March to 5.9 percent on April 18, before slowly retreating in recent weeks, state data shows.

Clark County’s two-week positivity rate also declined by 0.1 percentage points but remained slightly higher than the state average, at 5.5 percent.

The county on Wednesday reported 420 new coronavirus cases and three additional deaths, according to figures posted to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website.

Cumulative totals for the county rose to 247,606 cases and 4,345 deaths.

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