State death toll up by 20
Positivity rate at 9.99 percent after 20th daily jump in a row
Nevada recorded 1,105 new cases of COVID-19 and 20 additional deaths over the preceding day, according to state data posted Tuesday.
The Department of Health and Human Services published the new figures on its nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website, pushing the state’s case total to 44,936 and raising the death toll to 759. Reports from local health districts and counties place the case total somewhat higher, at 44,976 as of Tuesday
evening.
The number of new cases announced by the state was well above the daily average of just over 897 during the preceding week and surpassed the 1,000 mark for the 10th time this month.
The fatalities figure was likewise well above the daily average of 13 over the period.
The agency also reported 35 new hospitalizations of people with either confirmed or suspected cases of the disease caused by the new coronavirus over
the preceding day. That brought the total for the state to 1,047.
That was tied for the the second-highest daily hospitalization total and trailed only the 1,160 patients tallied on Thursday, according to a breakdown of the state data.
The Nevada Hospital Association, however, said in an update posted Monday that the state has remained in a range of 1,100 to 1,150 hospitalized COVID-19 patients for the past week, suggesting that the rate may be stabilizing after increasing for several weeks.
The state infection or positivity rate, considered a better bellwether of the trend of the outbreak than the daily case and death numbers, posted its 20th straight daily gain in the new report, reaching 9.99 percent.
The rate, which is the number of confirmed cases divided by the number of people tested, fell for more than two months before bottoming out at 5.2 percent on June
17, but it has nearly doubled since then.
Interactive: Tracking the coronavirus’ impact in Nevada through data
Gov. Steve Sisolak referenced “some positive signs” in the state’s COVID-19 data in an address Monday, specifically citing “slow and gradual flattening out in both cases and hospitalizations.” Sisolak said bars could reopen in three counties, though they will remain shut in Clark County and three others where the illness is still on the increase.
But he acknowledged that it is too early to say whether those positive movements are part of a larger trend or “just a small blip.”
The Southern Nevada Health
District, meanwhile, reported 1,042 new COVID-19 cases and 20 additional deaths in Clark County.
The new cases, which are also reflected in the state totals, brought the number of cases reported in the county to 38,534 and pushed the death toll to 625.
Both figures were well above the daily averages of nearly 883 cases and just under 10 deaths over the preceding week.
The county estimates that 29,637 of those who contracted the disease have recovered.
The health district also reported 35 additional hospitalizations over the preceding day, matching the total reported by the state.
Contact Mike Brunker at mbrunker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_ brunker on Twitter.