Clark County reports 6 more COVID-19 deaths, 66 new cases

Las Vegas Review-Journal

5 years ago

This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health ... — This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab. Also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus causes COVID-19. The sample was isolated from a patient in the U.S. (NIAID-RML via AP)

Sixty-six new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and six new deaths were reported in Clark County overnight amid a slight slowing of the rate of infections by the new coronavirus, according to data posted Thursday.

The Southern Nevada Health District reported the new cases on its online coronavirus website, bringing the total caseload for the county to 2,625. The county estimates that 1,399 — or 53 percent — of those patients have recovered.

The new deaths pushed the total fatalities from the disease in the county to 121, the district said.

The state of Nevada, meanwhile, reported 110 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 11 additional deaths, raising the state death toll to 142.

The number of new cases reported by the state Department of Health and Human Services on its nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website was the lowest overnight increase since April 5, when the state added 94 cases. CV playlist

Since then, the state has seen a gradual reduction in the number of new infections as a series of emergency measures ordered by Gov. Steve Sisolak have taken effect.

Clark County numbers also have trended downward from previous weeks before flattening out, with an average of 73 new confirmed cases reported daily since Saturday.

The new COVID-19 cases brought the state total to 3,321, derived from tests on 28,451 people, translating to an infection rate of 11.7 percent. That number is likely elevated, however, as the seriously ill and people who have had close contact with a diagnosed COVID-19 patient are more likely to be tested during the ongoing shortage of testing supplies.

The number of patients in Nevada with confirmed COVID-19 cases represents a tiny slice of the overall population, slightly over 0.1 percent of the estimated 3.08 million residents of the state as of last year.

In other developments Thursday:

— The Washoe County Health District reported 23 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one additional fatality, bringing the death toll in the county to 15. The deceased was a woman in her 80s with underlying health conditions, the district said in a news release. The district has reported 115 recoveries, including 12 in the day before the new report.

— Lander County in north-central Nevada has recorded its first case of COVID-19. The case was initially reported in Elko County, but was reclassified after health authorities there determined the patient lived in Lander County. The number of reported cases in Elko County is now 11 with the removal of the other case.

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