Nevada adds 1,264 cases of COVID-19, 29 deaths

Nevada recorded 1,264 new cases of COVID-19 and 29 additional fatalities — the highest one-day jump in deaths announced by the state since the outbreak began — over the preceding day, according to data posted Friday.

The state Department of Health and Human Services posted the latest figures on its nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website, pushing the case total for the state to 48,088 and the death toll to 830.

New cases of the disease caused by the new coronavirus were well above the daily average of slightly more than 986 over the preceding week. Fatalities also were well above the daily average of nearly 12 for the period. The death total was one higher than the 28 deaths announced by the agency on July 21 and 22.

The agency also reported a net increase of 14 hospitalizations of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases to a total of 1,159. That is just one below the highest total of 1,160 recorded in the state’s hospitalization database for July 23.

The state infection or positivity rate, considered a better barometer of the trend of the outbreak, rose for the 23rd straight day to reach 10.25 percent.

The rate, confirmed cases divided by the number of people tested, declined steadily over several months before bottoming out at 5.20 percent on June 16, but has risen every day but one since then. The rising rate is seen as an indicator that the virus is spreading more rapidly.

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The Southern Nevada Health District, meanwhile, reported that Clark County saw an increase of 1,052 COVID-19 cases and 23 additional deaths over the preceding day.

New figures posted on the health district’s coronavirus website pushed the case total for the county to 41,245 and the death toll to 686. The district estimates that 32,079 of the patients who contracted the disease have recovered.

New cases were well above the daily average of nearly 855 announced over the preceding week. Fatalities also were well above the daily average of nearly 12 over the period.

Both the health district and the state redistribute cases and deaths after they are announced to better reflect the trajectory of the outbreak, so the figures announced daily generally don’t match the revised data breakdowns they publish.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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