COVID-19 cases jump by 295 in Clark County

State’s infection rate climbs to 5.7 percent

Clark County recorded 295 new COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths over the preceding day, according to data posted Wednesday by the Southern Nevada Health District.

The new cases — coming on the heels of a record one-day jump of 412 in the county — brought the county total to 11,481. The health district estimates that 8,107 of those patients have recovered.

The additional fatalities pushed the county death toll to 404.

New cases were slightly above the daily average of nearly 290, while the deaths were just below the daily average of nearly three over the period.

There were 18 new hospitalizations from COVID-19 reported over the preceding day. That figure was also nearly on par with the daily average of just over 18 for the preceding week.

The state Department of Health and Human Services, meanwhile, reported 335 new COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths.

The new cases were almost at the daily average of the preceding week of just over 334, while the fatalities were inline with the daily average of just over two for the period.

The state infection rate, considered a better barometer of the trend of the outbreak, continued to edge higher in the most recent report, reaching 5.70 percent in Wednesday’s report. The rate, obtained by dividing the number of positive cases by people tested, had been declining steadily for more than two months before beginning to move higher over the last nine days after reaching a low point of 5.21 percent on June 15.

In another development Wednesday, public health officials in Washoe County reported a one-day record of 90 new COVID-19 cases. The new cases pushed the total in Nevada’s second most-populous county to 2,376, 1,554 of whom have recovered, according to the county’s Regional Information Center. Kevin Dick, District Health Officer for Washoe County, blamed the recent surge of cases on residents not following safety guidance. “The number of new cases is due strictly to community transmission and to residents not taking proper safety precautions when going out in public,” he said.

Nye County reported two Pahrump residents tested positive on Tuesday, as well as two more on Wednesday.

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