Nevada COVID cases, deaths top recent averages, positivity rate rises

Nevada on Tuesday reported 252 new coronavirus cases and five additional deaths over the preceding day.

Updated figures posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought totals in the state to 327,831 COVID-19 cases and 5,631 deaths.

New cases remained well above the moving 14-day average of daily reported cases, which increased slightly to 127. Deaths also were higher than the moving average of two fatalities daily over the same time period.

State officials have said that it is normal for daily figures to be higher than the moving averages due to delayed reports and redistributed data. State and county health agencies redistribute the data after it is reported to better reflect the date of death or onset of symptoms, which is why the moving-average trend lines frequently differ from daily reports and are considered better indicators of the direction of the outbreak.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

The state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially measures the percentage of people tested who were found to be infected with the virus, increased by 0.1 percentage points to 3.5 percent.

Until Tuesday’s slight increase, the rate has been steadily declining or remaining stagnant in recent weeks.

The positivity rate for Clark County also increased by 0.1 percentage points, matching the state’s average.

Clark County also reported 207 new coronavirus cases, according to data from the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website. All of the deaths reported in Nevada on Tuesday occurred in the county.

Cumulative totals for Clark County rose to 254,583 cases and 4,448 deaths.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-2040. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.