Nevada tops 1M COVID-19 vaccine doses, says 367,732 fully inoculated

Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Thursday that Nevada has administered more than 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 367,732 Nevadans have been fully vaccinated.

“This milestone marks a significant moment as Nevadans fight to end the pandemic, but this milestone doesn’t happen without the individual contributions of so many,” Sisolak said. “Thank you to our state and local emergency managers, the Nevada National Guard, FEMA staff on the ground in Nevada, our public health officials, and all of the health care workers vaccinating Nevadans. And thank you to all those who have chosen to be vaccinated and to all who are patiently waiting your turn and continuing the mitigation measures we know work.”

Nevada on Thursday reported 297 new coronavirus cases and 10 additional deaths over the preceding day, with both metrics remaining above recent averages for the third day in a row, according to state data.

Updated figures posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought totals in the state to 300,415 cases of COVID-19 and 5,157 deaths from the disease.

Nevada’s new cases were well above the moving 14-day average of daily reported cases of 213. Fatalities were also well above the moving two-week average of six deaths per day, the state data showed.

Despite the recent above-average daily reports, all major disease metrics have been trending lower in the state since mid-January or earlier, health officials have said.

State and county health agencies often redistribute 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.

The state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are confirmed to be infected, decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 5.2 percent, nearing the 5 percent rate that the World Health Organization says governments should hit for 14 straight days before beginning to reopen.

The data also showed 331 people in Nevada were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, which is 18 more than the previous day. The figure peaked at 2,126 on Dec. 22, according to state data.

Meanwhile in Clark County, there were 228 new cases and seven additional deaths reported on Thursday. Cumulative totals for the county rose to 232,174 cases and 4,039 deaths, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

The county’s two-week positivity rate also dropped by 0.2 percentage points on Thursday, reaching 5.4 percent, state data shows. The rate is 0.2 percentage points higher than the state’s average.

The Clark County figures are included in the state totals.

A previous version of this story had an incorrect daily death toll.

Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.