Nevada adds 994 new COVID-19 cases, 15 deaths

Nevada recorded 994 new COVID-19 cases and 15 additional deaths over the preceding day, according to state data posted Monday.

Updated figures from the Department of Health and Human Services’ nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website increased the case total for the state to 51,199 and pushed the death toll to 847. Reports from local health districts and counties place the case total somewhat higher, at 51,226 as of Monday evening.

New cases of the disease caused by the new coronavirus reported by the state were above the daily average of nearly 912 over the preceding week, while the fatalities were slightly above the daily average of 14 over the period.

The state infection or positivity rate, considered a better barometer of the trend of the outbreak than daily new cases and death reports, rose for the 26th straight day to reach 10.64 percent.

The rate — confirmed COVID-19 cases divided by the number of people tested — declined steadily over a period of several months before bottoming out at 5.20 percent on June 17. It has risen every day but one since then, indicating an increase in the spread of the virus.

At a news briefing, Julia Peek, a deputy administrator with the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, said that a data-reporting issue resulted in an unusually low number of tests being reported. She said state officials were working with the DHHS data vendor to identify the issue and noted that the state was not reporting a daily positivity rate because it would not be considered reliable under the circumstances.

The state agency also reported 1,121 suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients were hospitalized as of Sunday, an increase of eight from the previous day. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the state has remained fairly flat since peaking at 1,160 on July 23, according to state data.

Interactive: Tracking the coronavirus’ impact on Nevada through data

The Nevada Hospital Association said Monday that hospitalizations have remained below a daily level of 1,200 for the past 14 days and said hospitals statewide have additional capacity.

However the trade group said there were concerns in Southern Nevada, where “capacity is becoming more of a concern as all-cause hospitalizations increase and additional specialized staffing for emergency departments and intensive care units becomes difficult to obtain.”

“Current hospital levels are manageable, if the situation remains the same, and without the competing service demand of flu season,” it said. “If circumstances change, putting additional pressures on the healthcare infrastructure, additional mitigation efforts in the south may become necessary.”

The Southern Nevada Health District, meanwhile, reported 919 new cases of COVID-19 and 14 additional deaths in Clark County.

The new cases brought the case total for the county to 44,066 COVID-19 cases and the death toll to 702.

New cases were slightly below the daily average of just over 936 cases for the preceding week, while fatalities were slightly above the daily average of just under 13 for the period.

A previous version of this article incorrectly reported the number of new COVID-19 cases reported by the state.

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