Clark County reports 61 new COVID-19 cases, 3 more deaths

Clark County reported 61 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths over the preceding day, according to data posted Wednesday.

The updated figures from the Southern Nevada Health District pushed total cases reported in the county to 6,287 and raised the death toll to 332.

The district estimates that 4,931 of those patients diagnosed with the disease caused by the new coronavirus have recovered.

The number of new cases of the disease was well below the daily average of 97 over the preceding week.

The additional deaths were slightly below the daily average of nearly four over the same period.

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The hospitalization rate in the county — considered by public health experts to be a better indicator of the trend of the outbreak — registered another decline, dropping to 19.60 percent of those who tested positive (excluding deaths).

The rate has been steadily declining after peaking at 27.50 percent on April 10 as testing for the disease has become more widely available.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Health and Human Services reported 117 new COVID-19 cases and six additional deaths.

The update on the nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website pushed Nevada’s cases total to 8,114.

Reports from local health districts and other county agencies place the number somewhat higher, at 8,150. Such discrepancies are common because of different reporting cycles between the local agencies and the state.

The state had reported 402 deaths from the disease. The deaths were the first reported by the state since Monday and were above the daily average of just over three over the preceding week.

It also reported 5,692 tests for COVID-19 were recorded over the preceding day, slightly above the daily average of 5,590 over the preceding week.

Public health experts say the expanded testing of people with moderate to minor symptoms of COVID-19 — or no symptoms at all — is driving down the infection rate in the state. The infection rate, which stood at 6.6 percent as of Wednesday’s report, is considered a better indicator of the trend of the state outbreak.

In another development Wednesday, public health officials in Washoe County reported 26 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total for the county to 1,485.

The county’s Regional Information Center reported that 813 of those patients have recovered, but it also said that its 618 current active cases is the most it has had at one time. The county’s death toll remained at 54.

A headline on a previous version of this article misstated the number of new cases reported for Clark County and incorrectly reported the formula for calculating the hospitalization rate.

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