Nevada adds 811 new coronavirus cases, 46 deaths
Key forward-looking metrics for COVID-19 continued to improve for Nevada, but the lagging fatality rate remained stubbornly high, with 46 additional deaths, according to state data posted Tuesday.
Updated figures from the Department of Health and Human Services posted on the state’s coronavirus website showed 811 new cases of the disease. That was below the 14-day moving average of 971 cases a day — the first time that rate has fallen below 1,000 since Nov. 4, when it stood at 996, the data showed.
The two-week positivity rate, another key forward-looking indicator, dipped to 17.1 percent, a 0.3-percentage-point decrease from the previous day. The rate has declined steadily since Jan. 13, when it hit a peak of 21.7 percent.
The new fatalities, however, were well above the moving two-week average of 16.
The update pushed state totals to 279,957 cases and 4,324 deaths.
January was the deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic in the state, with 1,132 deaths reported.
As of Tuesday, there were 1,209 people in Nevada hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, 38 fewer than the day prior, according to state data.
That figure has been trending lower, especially in the northern region of the state, the Nevada Hospital Association said. Southern Nevada continues to see high hospitalization rates, but the numbers are declining, the association said.
“This however comes with the caveat (that) confirmed COVID-19 cases remain above the high documented during the previous wave,” the trade group said.
Statewide, 66 percent of adult ICU beds were occupied, while 25 percent of all intensive care patients were occupied by a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case, according to the association.
Adult ICU beds in Southern Nevada are at 74 percent occupancy, while 32 percent of all intensive care patients in the region are hospitalized due to COVID-19.
Clark County on Tuesday reported 689 new coronavirus cases and 36 additional deaths, according to data posted to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website. The updated figures brought cumulative totals in the county to 215,469 cases and 3,313 deaths.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.