Nevada adds 239 COVID-19 cases, 23 deaths as positivity rate dips

Nevada added 239 new COVID-19 cases and 23 deaths over the preceding day, as the state’s infection or positivity rate registered its first decline in nearly a month, according to state data posted Wednesday.

Data posted by the Department of Health and Human Services on its nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website raised the state’s case total to 69,872 and pushed the death toll to 1,336.

New cases were well below the daily average of 460 for the preceding week, while deaths were well above the daily average of nearly 12 for the period.

The state’s positivity rate — the percentage of people tested who are confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus — dropped by 0.01 percent to 11.61 percent, the first downturn in the metric since a one-day decline on Aug. 6.

The cumulative rate, calculated by the Review-Journal by dividing confirmed cases by the number of people tested, is considered a better indicator of the trend of the outbreak than new cases or deaths figures. It has risen steadily since bottoming out at 5.20 percent on June 17.

But a separate state-calculated metric based on the seven-day moving average of the rate has been trending lower since July 9, and crossed below the cumulative rate on Sunday for the first time since June 10. If it continues downward, that would cause the broader cumulative rate to begin declining as well.

Testing for COVID-19 dipped to its lowest level in a week, with 3,079 tests reported during the preceding day. That was well below the daily average of nearly 5,628 over the preceding week and less than half the daily average of nearly 8,153 the week before that.

The state also reported Wednesday that hospitalizations of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients, which have declined sharply since peaking at 1,165 on July 31, rebounded slightly, with 32 new hospitalizations for a total of 675.

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In an update posted Tuesday, the Nevada Hospital Association pronounced the state’s hospital infrastructure in good condition statewide.

The Southern Nevada Health District, meanwhile, reported 141 new COVID-19 cases and 23 additional deaths in Clark County.

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The data, posted on the health district’s coronavirus webpage, pushed the county case total to 59,857 and the death toll to 1,157. The district estimates that 54,396 of those who contracted the disease have recovered.

New cases were well below the daily average of just over 369 over the preceding week, while deaths were well above the daily average of nearly 11 for the period.

The Clark County figures are included in the state reporting, but sometimes there are differences between the two due to reporting issues.

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.