Clark County COVID death toll tops 1K as Nevada adds record 38 deaths

Nevada reported 556 new cases of COVID-19 and a record 38 deaths on Thursday, as the death toll in Clark County surpassed 1,000.

Data collected over the preceding day by the state Department of Health and Human Services and posted on its nvhealthresponse.nv.gov website raised the case total for the state to 63,584 and the death toll to 1,172. Reports from local health districts and counties place the case total slightly higher, at 63,669 as of Thursday night.

New cases were well below the daily average of slightly over 711 for the preceding week.

The number of new fatalities was the highest one-day increase reported by the state, eclipsing the 34 reported on Aug. 13.

Hospitalizations of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients rose by seven, to 874.

The Nevada Hospital Association stated in an update posted Wednesday said that the state has been on a “downward trajectory” in COVID-19 cases.

“The relative demand of COVID-19 patients continues to decline,” it said. “COVID-19 patients account for 19 percent of all hospitalized patients in the Nevada health care system. COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care represent 43 percent of all patients in the ICU. However, only 64 percent of ICU beds are occupied at this time.”

The state’s infection or positivity rate held steady at 11.33 percent, just the fourth day since June 17 that it has not increased.

Public health experts say the rate, a proportion calculated by dividing confirmed cases by the number of people tested, is considered a better barometer of the trend of the outbreak than daily reports of new cases or deaths.

Testing for the new coronavirus rebounded strongly, meanwhile, with the state reporting a single-day record of 17,046 tests.

The state has now conducted a total of 786,344 tests on 560,981 people, of whom 497,379 people have tested negative. Many people are tested more than once.

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Meanwhile, the Southern Nevada Health District reported 442 new cases of COVID-19 and 37 deaths in Clark County over the preceding day.

The deaths pushed the death toll in the county to 1,006 and the case total to 54,795. The district estimates that 47,576 of those who contracted the disease caused by the new coronavirus have recovered.

The deaths, also a one-day record, were well above the daily average for the past week of just over 18, while new cases were far below the daily average of slightly more than 621 for the period.

The health district issued a statement upon reaching the grim milestone, extending “our deepest sympathies to their families and friends.”

“We would also like to express our gratitude to the health care workers, first responders and everyone who is working during this time to serve the public in a safe and healthy manner,” it said. “We appreciate your efforts, your support, and what you do to keep our residents and visitors safe.”

The state COVID-19 mitigation task force on Thursday found that Clark County remains at elevated risk for transmission of COVID-19 and said the county’s bars, taverns, distilleries and other alcohol-serving establishments should remain closed for at least two more weeks.

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