Clark County’s COVID-19 metrics a mixed bag to begin week

Clark County on Monday reported 1,160 new cases of COVID-19 and 11 deaths during the previous three days as key metrics for the disease pointed in different directions.

Updated figures posted by the Southern Nevada Health District pushed totals for the county to 350,253 cases of the disease and 6,319 deaths.

Divided by three, the average of nearly 386 new cases per day for Friday through Sunday was lower than the two-week moving average of 405 per day, while the longer-term average jumped by 35 per day over the period, according to state data.

Daily fatalities over the three days were well below the two-week moving average of COVID-19 deaths of five per day, which was down one from Friday’s update.

The county’s test positivity rate, which tracks the percentage of those tested for the disease who are found to be infected, increased by 0.2 percent from Friday’s report to 7.6 percent.

Hospitals in the county had 541 confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients occupying beds, down 27 from Friday.

Tallies following a weekend can be impacted by spotty reporting, and state and county health agencies often redistribute daily data after it is reported to better reflect the date of death or onset of symptoms. Both are reasons why public health experts say moving-average trend lines frequently differ from daily reports and are considered better indicators of the direction of the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the health district also updated its reporting on so-called breakthrough cases in a report released late Friday.

The weekly update for Clark County showed 803 new COVID-19 cases among fully vaccinated individuals during the previous week, along with 36 hospitalizations and 13 deaths.

That brought breakthrough totals for the county to 14,990 cases, 767 hospitalizations and 231 deaths.

Breakthrough COVID-19 cases continue to increase as a percentage of the total, and have accounted for 25.35 percent of new cases in the county so far in December, slightly higher than the 24.94 percent reported in November.

The local data continues to support experts’ advice that vaccination remains a good defense against serious complications from COVID-19, with the death rate for vaccinated individuals standing at 20 per 100,000 population vs. 511 per 100,000 for the unvaccinated.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

The state Department of Health and Human Services, meanwhile, on Monday reported 1,521 new COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths during the preceding three days.

Updated figures posted on the state’s coronavirus website pushed totals for the state to 465,906 cases of the disease and 8,201 deaths.

Divided by three, the 507 new cases per day reported from Friday through Sunday were slightly below the two-week moving average of 531 per day. The average increased by 37 from Friday’s report, the data showed.

Fatalities for the period, also divided by three, were well below the 14-day moving average of seven deaths per day. The average dropped from nine as of Friday’s update.

The state’s test positivity rate jumped 0.2 percentage points from Friday to 7.6 percent.

Hospitalizations of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients were down by 27 for the period.

The percentage of eligible Nevadans 5 and older who have been fully vaccinated inched higher over the weekend to reach 53.45 percent. That compared to 52.72 percent in Clark County.

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