Nevada reports 1,824 new COVID-19 cases, 5 deaths

For the second day in a row, Nevada set a record on Saturday for the number of new coronavirus cases reported in a single day, according to state data.

There were 1,824 new cases reported on Saturday, the highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic. Saturday’s figure is 262 more than the record set on Friday, when 1,562 cases were reported, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ website.

“The case increase that we’re experiencing right now is very much a wave, a surge in cases,” COVID-19 response director Caleb Cage said Friday.

Only five additional deaths were reported throughout the state on Saturday. While the state’s positive rate and daily reports of new cases have been increasing since September, the number of deaths has not seen the same increase. However, death totals tend to lag a month or more behind new cases.

Totals in the state on Saturday stood at 108,746 cases and 1,850 deaths, according to the state health department.

The state’s positivity rate, calculated by the Review-Journal as the number of cases divided by total people tested, rose to 12.92 percent on Saturday.

The health department calculates a positivity rate over a two-week period, and rose to 12.8 percent on Saturday.

Of all the new cases reported in Nevada on Saturday, 1,342 were from Clark County, according to data from the Southern Nevada Health District. There were also three deaths reported in the county.

Totals in Clark County raised to 88,015 cases and 1,571 deaths.

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