Clark County’s COVID-19 metrics mostly flat

Clark County on Wednesday reported 494 new coronavirus cases and 10 deaths during the previous day as its major metrics for COVID-19 stayed mostly flat.

Updated figures posted by the Southern Nevada Health District pushed totals in the county to 347,863 cases and 6,279 deaths.

New cases were well above the two-week moving average, which nonetheless decreased by two to 324 per day. The two-week moving average of daily fatalities in the county held steady at five per day, according to state data.

The number of people hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in the county increased by 17, to 574.

The county’s 14-day test positivity rate, which tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are found to be infected, held steady at 7.2 percent.

After declining for several months beginning in early to mid-August, the county’s major metrics for the disease caused by the new coronavirus began creeping higher in early November and have continued to rise through early December. State officials have said they expected to see increases with the arrival of the holiday season.

Despite the recent trend, levels of COVID-19 in the county remain well below those seen during the summer surge.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

The state Department of Health and Human Services, meanwhile, reported 652 new COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths during the preceding day. That brought totals posted for the state to 462,811 cases and 8,146 deaths.

Nevada’s 14-day moving average of new cases decreased to 434 per day from 440 on Tuesday. The two-week average for fatalities increased by one to eight per day, the second straight daily rise in the metric.

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.

Of the state’s other closely watched metrics, the two-week test positivity rate dropped 0.1 percentage point to 7.3 percent, while the number of people in Nevada hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases rose to 689, 15 more than on Tuesday.

The Nevada Hospital Association said in its weekly update that the situation at the state’s hospitals remained stable over the past week, with shortages of supplies and nursing staff continuing to pose challenges.

While hospitalization numbers have declined from the summer’s peak, they remain significant, the hospital association said. It noted that the majority of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state are unvaccinated individuals above the age of 49.

As of Wednesday’s report, state data show that 53.08 percent of Nevadans 5 and older had been fully vaccinated, compared with 52.35 percent in Clark County. That number fluctuates widely throughout the state.

Carson City had the state’s highest vaccination rate, at 61.78 percent, as of Wednesday, while Storey County has the lowest at 19.78 percent.

Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.