Number of new COVID-19 cases in Clark County, Nevada holds steady

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Clark County increased by 58 overnight, near the low end of recent daily reports, according to data published early Monday.

The Southern Nevada Health District reported the new cases, bringing the total for the county to 2,998.

The health district estimates that 1,758 of those patients — or 58.6 percent — have recovered.

Deaths in the county from the disease caused by the new coronavirus held steady at 137 in the new report.

The increase in COVID-19 cases reported for Clark County overnight matched the 58 cases added on Sunday. Both figures were the second-lowest numbers reported in the past three weeks, trailing only the 50 new cases reported on April 15.

While new cases appear to be trending lower in recent days, the number of people hospitalized with the disease in Clark County has been edging higher for weeks. As of Monday, 768 people were reportedly hospitalized, up from 623 a week ago.

Despite the local increase, state data released on Friday showed that the number of available hospital beds in the state was at just 61 percent of capacity, with beds in intensive care units at 70 percent of capacity.

New case figures released early Monday by the state also were flat, with the 102 new confirmed COVID-19 cases maintaining the pace of the past three days.

That brought the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 3,830.

The number of deaths statewide rose to 163, five more than the 158 reported by the state late Sunday.

Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services has reported identical increases of 102 new cases overnight on both Saturday and Sunday on its nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website. That level is well below the overnight increases seen early in April, which peaked with 231 new cases on April 8.

The number of confirmed cases was derived from tests on 32,347 people, which translates to an infection rate of 11.8 percent of those tested. That number is likely elevated, as the severely ill and people who have been in close contact with a diagnosed patient are most likely to be tested amid the ongoing shortage of testing supplies.

In other developments Monday:

— The Clark County coroner’s office reported the autopsy results of two COVID-19 cases involving Las Vegas men in their 70s.

The office, which does not conduct autopsies on COVID-19 victims who die while under the care of their doctors, investigated and ruled in the deaths of Francisco Alvarez-Novoa, 76, of Las Vegas, who died April 4. His cause of death was COVID-19 infection, and other significant conditions were hypertensive cardiovascular disease, the office reported. The manner of death was ruled natural.

Yuan-Chi Huang, 75, of Las Vegas, who died April 1, also was found to have died of a COVID-19 infection, and other significant conditions were hypertensive cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellutis. The manner of death was ruled natural.

— The Washoe County Health District reported 25 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 15 additional recoveries. The newly reported cases brought the county total to 662, while 166 patients have now recovered, according to the district.

— Officials in Nye County ordered the closures of the Fifth Judicial District Court and Pahrump Justice Court after an employee of the former was diagnosed with COVID-19 and a worker at the latter reported being exposed to the coronavirus. The district court was ordered closed until at least April 30, while officials plan to keep the justice court in Pahrump shut until May 4.

Separately, the county reported four more COVID-19 cases, all in residents of Pahrump, bringing the total cases in the county to 32.

— An employee at an Albertsons store in northeast Las Vegas has been diagnosed with COVID-19, said a spokeswoman for the grocery chain. The employee last worked at the store, at 6885 E. Lake Mead Blvd., on April 12, and the spokeswoman said the store was cleaned and sanitized after the worker’s diagnosis.

Contact Mike Brunker at mbrunker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker on Twitter.