COVID-19 deaths rebound in Nevada, but positivity rate falls

Las Vegas Review-Journal

4 years ago

Dr. Christina Madison, an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Roseman University, admin ... — Dr. Christina Madison, an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Roseman University, administers the first dose of the Moderna vaccine to a Robert Koenen, 76, of Las Vegas, at a pop-up clinic at the Doolittle Senior Center in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Nevada on Wednesday reported a lower than average 363 new coronavirus cases but an above average 41 deaths over the preceding day.

Updated figures from the Department of Health and Human Services posted to the state’s coronavirus website brought totals to 289,392 cases and 4,774 deaths.

New cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, were well below the state’s 14-day moving daily average of 462. On Tuesday, the state reported 290 new cases, the lowest one-day increase in new cases in nearly five months.

Fatalities reported on Wednesday, however, were well above the state’s moving 14-day average of daily recorded deaths, which stood at 14.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

Both the state and county health agencies redistribute data to better reflect the date of someone’s death or onset of symptoms, therefore the moving-average trendlines often differ from daily reports. Because of this redistribution, the 14-day average for deaths has been decreasing since it peaked at 39 on Jan. 14 and Jan. 14, according to the state data.

The state’s two-week positivity rate, which measures the percentage of people tested who are confirmed to have COVID-19, dropped to 11.8 percent, a 0.5-percentage-point decrease from the day prior.

Number of hospitalizations of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients also continued to fall, declining by 33 cases to 740.

Clark County on Wednesday reported 284 additional coronavirus cases and 38 new deaths, according to data posted to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website.

The updated figures brought cumulative totals in the county to 223,200 cases and 3,696 deaths.

The county’s two-week positivity rate declined by 0.6 percentage points on Wednesday, reaching 13 percent, state data shows. The rate is 1.2 percentage points higher than for the state as a whole.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 70-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.