Nevada reports near record single-day COVID deaths

Nevada on Tuesday reported 2,320 new coronavirus cases and 48 additional deaths — the second-highest daily death toll of the pandemic, according to state data.

The most deaths reported in a single day in the state were the 50 recorded Thursday. The toll announced Tuesday, covering the preceding day, tied the 48 deaths reported Dec. 3.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

The daily deaths were far above the moving seven-day average of 34.

New COVID-19 cases were well below the daily average of 2,636 cases over the same period.

The updated figures brought the state totals to 191,732 cases and 2,596 deaths.

Nevada’s hospitalizations dropped slightly in Tuesday’s report, with the number of patients declining by three to 6,845. The number of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients registered a bigger drop of 46, falling from the record high of 2,025 reported Monday to 1,979 patients, according to the state data.

Despite the one-day fall, COVID-19 has been placing a greater burden on the state’s hospitals in recent weeks,. Two weeks ago, for example, coronavirus patients occupied a little less than 24 percent of the state’s licensed hospital beds. As of Tuesday’s report the figure stood at nearly 38 percent.

Despite the underlying growth of coronavirus cases, the Nevada Hospital Association said Tuesday that “the health-care infrastructure throughout Nevada remains intact and in fair condition.”

State public health officials have said they expect new COVID-19 cases to continue to climb in Southern Nevada as the impact of new infections over the Thanksgiving holiday is fully realized. That will more than offset a slight decline in the spread of the virus in some northern and rural areas of the state, they said.

Meanwhile, the state’s two-week positivity rate, which tracks the percentage of positive tests, remained stagnant at 21.3 percent after declining for five straight days.

The state data also showed that the the disease continues to spread among Nevada Department of Corrections prisoners, with a 77 percent increase in new cases in less than a week. Tuesday’s report showed 2,194 prisoners have tested positive, after department officials testified during a state Sentencing Commission meeting on Dec. 9 that 1,237 prisoners had tested positive since the start of the pandemic.

There have also been three more prisoner deaths since the meeting, bringing the cumulative prisoner deaths to eight. Dec. 9 was the first time officials had publicly acknowledged any prisoner deaths from COVID-19.

The highest numbers of cases continue to be reported at Warm Springs Correctional Center in Carson City, where 470 prisoners have tested positive, followed by 356 prisoner cases at Lovelock Correctional Center in Pershing County.

The number of new cases among department staff has nearly tripled since Dec. 9, from 189 to 561 as of Tuesday. Two staff members have died.

Clark County on Tuesday reported 1,897 new cases and 35 additional deaths. The updated figures posted on the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website brought totals in the county to 144,834 cases and 2,037 deaths. Those figures are included in the state’s reporting.

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