Nevada nears 200k COVID-19 cases as deaths rebound

Nevada reported rebounds in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths on Friday, but hospitalizations of suspected and confirmed cases crept slightly lower.

The 2,878 additional cases reported Friday was the second-highest daily increase of the week, surpassed only by the 2,882 cases reported on Sunday, according to data posted online by the state Department of Health and Human Services. The seven-day moving average of daily reported cases rose for the second day in a row, reaching 2,564.

The state reported 35 additional deaths from the disease caused by the new coronavirus, slightly above the seven-day moving average of 33.

The updated figures brought totals in Nevada to 199,257 cases and 2,708 deaths.

The state’s two-week positivity rate decreased for the ninth day in a row, to 20.4 percent, a 0.2 percentage point drop from the previous day.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

Officials on Thursday warned that while the positivity rate’s decline was the longest since September, it’s too soon to label it a trend. Disease indicators are likely to rise again after the holidays, said Caleb Cage, the state’s COVID-19 response director.

“While we are experiencing something that looks like stabilization or potential towards a stabilization trend … we’re still highly elevated and we could very easily start trending back upward here in the near term as well,” Cage said at the weekly COVID-19 Task Force meeting in Carson City.

The number of patients in Nevada hospitalized with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases also decreased for the second day in a row, dropping by 24 from the previous day to 1,951.

Hospitalizations in Southern Nevada decreased by 10, to 1,519, state data shows.

According to the Nevada Hospital Association, 85 percent of licensed hospital beds and 76 percent of intensive care beds in the state were occupied.

Southern Nevada had 91 percent of its licensed beds occupied, along with 79 percent of ICU beds, the association said.

Clark County on Friday reported 2,056 new cases and 24 additional fatalities, according data from the state health department.

The updated figures brought totals in the county to 150,467 cases and 2,118 deaths.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.