Nevada reports 959 new coronavirus cases, 6 deaths

Nevada health officials on Sunday reported 959 new coronavirus cases and six additional deaths.

The updated numbers from the state Department of Health and Human Services pushed statewide totals to 278,308 cases and 4,270 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

New cases fell below the 14-day moving average of 1,002 new cases per day. For the two-week period, Nevada is averaging 18 deaths per day.

The state’s 14-day positivity rate, a key indicator monitored by public health officials, fell slightly to 17.7 percent from 17.8 percent a day prior. The positivity rate has been decreasing since mid-January, when it peaked at 21.7 percent, according to state data.

UNLV epidemiologist Brian Labus said the decrease can be attributed to a number of factors, including mitigation measures and getting past transmission from the holidays.

“Plus there’s also just the natural ebb and flow of a disease when it infects a population,” he said.

In Clark County, officials reported 724 new cases and two additional deaths, bringing local totals to 214,108 cases and 3,276 deaths, according to data from the state health department. Clark County numbers are included in the statewide totals.

More than 2.48 million tests have been performed on about 1.33 million people, according to state data.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.