Clark County reports 14,559 COVID-19 cases over weekend, 39 deaths

Four key metrics that measure the impact of COVID-19 in Clark County showed slight improvements over the weekend.

The number of people hospitalized in the county with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, the test positivity rate, the two-week average of new cases and the two-week average of deaths all declined from Friday’s numbers.

Still, the number of new cases reported Monday by the Southern Nevada Health District was substantial — 14,559 new confirmed infections and 39 deaths over a three-day period.

That pushes the total number of cases in Clark County to 458,151 with 6,733 deaths since the coronavirus was first detected here in March 2020.

As of Sunday, 1,673 people in Southern Nevada with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections were occupying beds in county hospitals, a small reprieve for health care workers who on Friday were treating a record high of 1,704 patients, according to Nevada’s COVID dashboard.

Hospitalizations have been ticking up since late Oct. 22, when patients sickened by the coronavirus occupied 492 beds. They have skyrocketed in January, shortly after the omicron variant became the dominant strain of the virus.

A total of 290 patients were taking up intensive care unit beds in Clark County on Sunday, with 171 of them requiring ventilators, state data shows.

Meanwhile, the two-week moving average of 3,130 new cases Monday was a reduction from the 3,179-case average reported Friday.

While that still is a significant figure, the new cases average has decreased considerably from Tuesday, when it stood at 3,618.

On a 14-day moving average, Clark County also reported a test positivity rate of 37.5 percent, a slight decrease from Friday’s figure of 38.2 percent.

The two-week moving average of daily fatalities also decreased from six to five.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

Fatality numbers have remained flat since late October, which health officials say is likely due to omicron causing less serious complications than previous strains.

Still, health experts maintain that vaccination remains the best protection against severe illness and death from an infection.

Nearly 71 percent of the population in Clark County has begun the vaccine regimen, with 59.01 percent of those 5 years and older reporting full vaccination, health district data shows. About 69 percent of the population ages 18 and above has received at least two jabs.

Statewide, 55.54 percent of the eligible population age 5 and older are vaccinated.

A heath district report released last week on so-called breakthrough cases — when the virus evades vaccination protection — showed that out of 50,443 breakthrough cases detected in Clark County, 919 resulted in hospitalizations.

Out of the 282 deaths among vaccinated people, 86 percent were age 65 or older, the report said.

Statewide, new cases increased by 19,585 over the weekend, and 51 deaths were reported.

Nevada has detected 601,133 cases since the onset of the pandemic, reporting a total of 8,760 fatalities as a result from the virus.

The state’s two-week test positivity rate stood at 35.3 percent on Monday, down from 35.5 percent on Friday.

Statewide, there were 1,962 people hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, down from 1,970 on Friday.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow @rickytwrites on Twitter.