Clark County reports 9 coronavirus deaths, 144 new cases

Health officials reported 144 new cases of coronavirus in Clark County on Saturday, the largest overnight increase in the reported caseload in a week.

The Southern Nevada Health District also reported nine more deaths from the virus in Clark County.

The total number of cases in the county now stands at 2,882, with 133 deaths. It was the largest overnight jump since April 10, when 266 new cases were reported.

The nine additional deaths is the second-highest overnight increase since the number of new deaths peaked at 21, also on April 10.

At the state level, the Health and Human Services Department reported 102 new cases as of Saturday morning, bringing the total number of cases to 3,626. Differing reporting cycles can show differences between the state data and counts from counties and local health officials.

The numbers reported as of Saturday morning represented the lowest overnight increase statewide since April 5, when 94 additional cases were reported.

According to a statement on the Health and Human Services Department’s nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website, coronavirus case counts may be “artificially low” from Saturday to Monday “due to limited weekend reporting.”

The state’s death toll from COVID-19 rose to 155 as of Saturday evening, an increase of four since Friday, according to the state’s website.

The caseload reported by the state was derived from tests on 30,751 people, representing 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.

In other developments Saturday:

• The Humboldt County Health Department announced a second resident — a man in his 60s who was a previously confirmed case and was hospitalized — died Friday as a result of COVID-19.
• The Nye County Sheriff’s Office announced a detention center employee tested positive for COVID-19. Nye County also reported seven new COVID-19 cases, for a total of 28.
• A worker at the Circa construction site in downtown Las Vegas has tested positive for COVID-19, the company said.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writers Mike Brunker and Julie Wootton-Greener contributed to this report.