Clark County COVID-19 positivity rate up again as other metrics fall

Clark County on Monday reported 1,095 new cases of COVID-19 and 22 deaths over the preceding three days, as the test positivity rate registered its second-straight increase.

Data posted by the Southern Nevada Health District raised totals for the county to 325,035 cases of the disease and 5,765 deaths.

There were 365 new cases per day when averaged over three days, which was below the 14-day moving average of 381 per day. The longer term measure, however, rose by 30 cases per day from the 351 reported on Friday.

Fatalities from the disease caused by the new coronavirus were just over seven per day when averaged over three days, slightly above the 14-day moving average of six per day. The average itself declined by one from the seven deaths per day reported Friday.

Both longer-term measurements have been declining since late-August, with the two-week new cases rate falling 68 percent from the recent high of 1,193 on Aug. 26 and deaths declining nearly 73 percent from the recent high of 22 on Aug. 29.

State and county health agencies often redistribute 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.

The county’s test positivity rate, meanwhile, ticked higher by 0.1 percentage point to 7.0 percent, the second straight increase for the metric that tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are determined to be infected. The rate, which is 55 percent below its recent high of 15.7 percent on Aug. 8, is considered a leading indicator for the outbreak in the state and will bear watching in the days ahead.

Hospitalizations of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients in the county stood at 581 in Monday’s report, down 20 from Friday. The figure remains well below its recent high of 1,168 on Aug. 10, according to state data.

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The state, meanwhile, reported 1,636 new COVID-19 cases and 30 deaths over the preceding three days.

Updated figures posted by the Department of Health and Human Services pushed state totals to 428,043 COVID-19 cases and 7,315 deaths.

New cases were well below the 14-day moving average of 612 per day when averaged over three days, while the average declined to 612 per day from 712 on Friday, according to state data.

Deaths were right at the two-week moving average of 10 per day when averaged over three days, while the average itself declined from 13 on Friday, the data show.

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The statewide test positivity rate continued its nearly two-month slide, dipping by 0.1 percentage point to 8.3 percent from the 8.4 reported on Friday.

The number of hospitalizations of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases in the state also retreated, falling by 85 from 863 reported Friday to 778. The figure has declined more than 33 percent from its recent high of 1,193 on Aug. 17, state data show.

State data shows that 54.79 percent of the eligible 12-and-older population is now fully vaccinated, compared to 54.03 percent in Clark County.

Contact Mike Brunker at mbrunker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker on Twitter.