Nevada records 459 new cases, 15 more deaths

Positivity rate down 0.4 percentage point

Nevada on Saturday reported 459 new coronavirus cases and 15 additional deaths, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The updated figures posted to the state’s coronavirus website brought totals to 293,488 cases and 4,957 deaths.

It was the fifth day in a row that the reported new cases of COVID-19 were above the moving 14-day average of daily recorded cases, which dropped to 307 on Saturday. Despite that, the 14-day average has been trending down since mid-January.

Deaths on Saturday were above the moving two-week average of daily recorded fatalities, which dropped to nine, according to state data. However, the average number of daily reported deaths has also been trending down since mid-January.

There have been 89 deaths recorded this week, the lowest number in a single week since early November, when 58 were reported from Nov. 8-14, according to records maintained by the Review-Journal.

Both the 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.

As of Saturday, 491 people in Nevada were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, which is 18 fewer than the day before. It’s the lowest hospitalizations have been in Nevada since 485 were reported to be hospitalized on Oct. 19, state data shows.

The state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are found to be infected, decreased by 0.4 percentage point on Saturday, reaching 7.9 percent.

Clark County on Saturday reported 349 new cases and 14 deaths, according to updated figures posted to the Southern Nevada Health District’s website. Cumulative totals in the county rose to 226,469 cases and 3,861 deaths.

The county’s 14-day test positivity rate dropped to 8.9 percent.