Nevada reports 1,143 new COVID-19 cases, 50 deaths

Nevada recorded 1,143 new coronavirus cases and 50 additional deaths from the disease over the preceding day, according to state data posted Wednesday.

The updated figures posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought cumulative totals for Nevada to 253,985 cases and 3,596 deaths.

The increase in new cases on was artificially low due to delayed laboratory reports, Caleb Cage, the state’s COVID-19 response director, said during a briefing with reporters.

“The problem is being resolved,” he said. “The numbers may seem low today and should increase tomorrow.”

New cases were lower than the 14-day moving average of daily recorded cases, which declined from 1,967 on Tuesday to 1,759. It was the third day in a row the average had declined.

Newly reported fatalities, however, were well above the two-week average of daily recorded deaths, which stood at 20 on Wednesday

The two-week daily average of deaths has been declining steadily since it reached a high of 35 on Dec. 23, according to the state data. The state redistributes data after daily total announcements to better reflect the date of death, which at times causes the trendlines to diverge from daily reports.

The state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested who are diagnosed with the disease, reached 21.5 percent, a 0.2-percentage-point increase from the previous day.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

Hospitalizations of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients dropped by 43 from the preceding day, to 1,784, the data show. But the Nevada Hospital Association said that Southern Nevada hospitals continue to be plagued by “elevated occupancy rates” in general wards and intensive care units.

“Nevada hospitalizations remain plateaued at near peak levels with appreciable declines only in the northern part of the state,” it said.

The association also denied rumors of oxygen shortages in Nevada hospitals.

About 74 percent of all ICU beds throughout the state were occupied, 39 percent of them by COVID-19 patients, the association said. In Southern Nevada, intensive care units were at 82 percent occupancy, with 45 percent of available beds filled by patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

The Southern Nevada Health District, meanwhile, reported 737 new coronavirus cases in Clark County over the preceding day. Like the state numbers, a statement from the district said the relatively low increase was “a result of delayed laboratory reporting.”

The health district also reported 42 new deaths, and noted that the figure was not affected by delayed reports, the health district said.

The updated figures brought totals in Clark County to 194,220 cases and 2,716 deaths, state data shows.