Nevada COVID-19 cases remain above average for third day in a row
Nevada on Thursday reported higher-than-average tallies ofnew coronavirus cases and additional fatalities over the preceding day.
Updated figures from the Department of Health and Human Services posted to the state’s coronavirus website showed 571 new coronavirus cases and 14 additional deaths from Wednesday’s report. That brought cumulative totals for the state to 292,630 cases and 4,933 deaths.
New cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, were well above the moving 14-day average of daily recorded cases, which dropped to 329. It was the third day in a row that new cases were above the average, although the moving average continued to trend downward, according to the state data.
Deaths were slightly above the moving 14-day average of 11 fatalities per day.
Both rates have been declining steadily since January. Caleb Cage, director of the state’s COVID-19 response, said Wednesday that new cases have recently shown a sharp decline, and deaths have now begun to dip below the peak of the summer surge.
Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada
The state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are found to be infected, remained at 8.6 percent on Thursday, its lowest level since late October.
As of Thursday, there were 532 people hospitalized in Nevada with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, down two from the previous day, according to state data. Hospitalizations have also been trending downward since January.
Both the state and county health agencies often redistribute data after it is reported to better reflect the date of death or onset of symptoms, which is why the moving-average trend lines can differ from daily reports and are considered better indicators of the direction of the outbreak.
Clark County on Thursday reported 519 additional coronavirus cases, along with 12 new deaths, according to data posted to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website.
Cumulative totals in the county rose to 225,820 cases and 3,839 deaths.
The county’s 14-day test positivity rate remained at 9.7 percent, or 1.1 percent higher than the state average.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.