Nevada reports nearly 3K new coronavirus cases, 24 deaths

State officials reported 2,912 new coronavirus cases and 24 additional deaths in Nevada on Saturday, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The updated figures posted to the state’s coronavirus website brought totals to 149,229 cases and 2,119 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

However, as of Saturday morning, the Quad-County region of Carson City and Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties had not reported an increase in cases since Thursday. It was unclear Saturday if there was a delay in reporting over the Thanksgiving holiday.

State officials have reported 108 deaths in Nevada this week, the highest number of weekly deaths since 128 were reported in mid-August. The number of weekly deaths had decreased from August through October but has been increasing this month, state data shows.

Reported deaths tend to lag at least a month behind other disease indicators. The daily number of new cases and the state’s positivity rate have been rising since mid-September.

The positivity rate, which is calculated by the Review-Journal as the number of cases divided by people who have been tested since the start of the pandemic, reached 15.34 percent on Saturday, an increase of 0.19 percentage points from the previous day.

The state health department calculates a positivity rate over a two-week period, and the rate increased by 0.2 percentage points on Saturday, reaching 16.8 percent.

Southern Nevada Health District showed 1,797 additional cases reported in Clark County, along with 16 additional deaths. The updated figures brought totals in the county to 114,691 cases and 1,751 deaths.

Long lines at drive-thru site

On Saturday morning, a line of cars stretched for almost a mile along North Rancho Drive and Coran Lane as people sought to get tested at a drive-thru site at Texas Station.

The Texas Station COVID-19 testing site, along with Cashman Center and the health district sites, were closed Thursday and Friday because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Along with Texas Station, Cashman Center resumed testing on Saturday, according to a testing calendar posted on the health district’s website.

Appointments are recommended for Cashman Center via University Medical Center’s website and required for the health district site. Texas Station’s site does not require appointments, but registration on the health district’s website is recommended.

UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center testing site closed Tuesday to relocate to the university’s Stan Fulton Building, and the testing site is set to open to the public on Monday.

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