Nevada reports 986 new COVID-19 cases, 5 more deaths

Nevada reported an additional 986 cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, and five additional deaths, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The updated data brings the totals in the state to 49,074 cases and 835 deaths.

The infection rate for the state, which is considered a better indicator of the outbreak, rose for the 24th straight day to reach 10.37 percent, according to state data.

The rate — the number of confirmed cases divided by the number of people tested — declined steadily over several months before bottoming out at 5.20 percent on June 16, but has risen every day but one since then. The rising rate is seen as an indicator that the virus is spreading more rapidly.

According to data from the Southern Nevada Health District, 922 of the new cases are in Clark County, which also recorded an additional two deaths. The updated numbers brought totals in Clark County to 42,167 cases and 688 deaths.

As of Saturday, an estimated 34,304 people in Clark County had recovered from the virus, according to the county health district.

Both the health district and the state redistribute cases and deaths after they are announced to better reflect the trajectory of the outbreak, so the figures announced daily generally don’t match the revised data breakdowns they publish.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.