Nevada reports 556 additional COVID-19 cases, 9 more deaths

Nevada on Friday reported an additional 556 cases of the coronavirus and nine more deaths, according to state data.

The updated numbers posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ website brought totals in the state to 77,753 cases and 1,573 deaths.

Nevada’s infection rate, which is considered a better indicator of the virus than daily case and death totals, dropped slightly from Thursday’s statistic to 11.43 percent. The Review-Journal calculates the rate as the number of cases divided by the number of people tested.

As of Friday, state data showed that 680,480 people in the state have been tested for the virus.

The state, which calculates its positivity rate based on the number of tests administered, reported a cumulative rate of 9.9 percent, which is the same as Thursday’s figure. The state’s methodology yields lower figures because many people get tested multiple times, increasing the numbers upon which the percentages are based, which in turn lowers the percentages.

The number of people hospitalized in Nevada with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases dropped by 19 on Friday, to 460, according to state data.

Clark County reported 409 new cases on Friday and eight additional deaths, according to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website.

Totals in the county were brought to 65,583 cases and 1,368 deaths, according to the health district.

The agency has estimated that 60,577 people in the county have recovered from the virus as of Friday.

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.