New COVID-19 cases, deaths top average; positivity rate dips to 5.5%
Nevada on Tuesday reported 346 new coronavirus cases and 14 additional deaths over the preceding day, with both metrics surging above recent averages, according to state data.
Updated figures posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought totals in the state to 299,817 cases and 5,135 deaths.
All the new fatalities occurred in Clark County, according to data posted to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website.
Nevada’s new cases were well above the moving 14-day average of daily reported cases, which dropped to 221. New fatalities were also well above the moving two-week average of five deaths per day, the state data showed.
Despite the recent above-average daily reports, all major disease metrics have been declining in the state since mid-January or earlier, health officials have said.
State and county health agencies often redistribute 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.
The state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are confirmed to be infected, decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 5.5 percent.
The data also showed 300 people in Nevada were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, which is five fewer than the previous day and less than one-seventh of the peak of 2,126 on Dec. 22, according to state data.
Meanwhile in Clark County, there were 294 new cases reported on Tuesday. Cumulative totals for the county rose to 231,710 cases and 4,021 deaths, according to the health district.
The county’s two-week positivity rate also dropped by 0.2 percentage points on Tuesday, reaching 5.8 percent, state data shows. The rate is 0.3 percentage points higher than the state’s average.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
