Clark County reports another decline in COVID-19 cases

Clark County recorded 980 new COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths over the weekend.

The updated figures from the Southern Nevada Health District push the total number of cases in Clark County since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 to 484,810 and 7,220 deaths.

New cases recorded over the weekend plummeted from the 1,667 reported Feb. 7, but deaths only decreased by three.

After a record-breaking January, Friday saw the seventh straight day with fewer than 1,000 new cases reported.

The two-week moving average of daily new cases dropped by over 100 cases, hitting 529. The two-week moving average of daily deaths dropped from nine to seven. The county’s 14-day test positivity rate, which tracks the percentage of people tested who are found to be infected with COVID-19, decreased by 2.5 percentage points to 19.5 percent.

As of Monday, state data showed that 675 people were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, down from 859 on Friday.

The health district distributes a weekly report on so-called breakthrough cases of those who were vaccinated but still infected with COVID-19.

Breakthrough cases are to be expected, but vaccination provides the best protection against serious illness or death, health officials maintain, adding that the jab has proven effective against all emerging COVID-19 variants.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

Thursday’s report shows that Clark County officials had detected a total of 66,068 such cases and 392 deaths, an increase of 1,834 cases and 36 deaths compared to the previous week’s report.

About 85 percent of breakthrough deaths were reported among people age 65 and older, according to the report. Forty-six percent of those who died had underlying conditions.

Of the total number of breakthrough cases reported, only 1,061 people — or 2 percent — required hospitalization.

COVID-19 has killed 31 out of every 100,000 vaccinated Clark County residents, compared to the rate of 642 deaths on the unvaccinated per 100,000 residents, according to the report.

Vaccination remained stagnant over a one week period.

In Clark County, 71.72 percent of the total population have initiated vaccination, and 57.76 percent have received at least two jabs, health district data shows.

Meanwhile, the state on Monday night reported 1,541 new cases and 27 deaths over the preceding three days, bringing totals posted by the state Department of Health and Human Services to 640,069 cases and 9,362 deaths.

New cases were well below the two-week moving average, when spread over three days. That number fell to 862 after it was at 1,018 on Friday. Deaths were slightly below the two-week moving average, which fell from 13 to 10.

Of the state’s other closely-watched metrics, the 14-day test positivity rate dropped 2 percentage points to 21.8 percent, while the number of people hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 dropped to 862, from 1,044 on Friday.

A total of 74.54 percent of residents over the eligible population (ages 5 and older) have received at least one jab, while 59.68 percent have completed the two-vaccine regime, the data shows.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow @rickytwrites on Twitter.