Clark County sees 2 more coronavirus deaths, 63 more cases

Clark County on Saturday morning reported two more deaths and 63 more cases of the coronavirus overnight.

The increases bring the totals to 5,298 cases in the county and 293 deaths, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

According to data from individual counties, there are now 6,803 cases in the state and 346 deaths. There are also 4,702 people in the state who have recovered.

Totals from state and county health officials can differ due to different reporting cycles, and numbers posted online by the state Department of Health and Human Services on Saturday showed 6,662 cases and 349 deaths.

State data posted to the website includes a disclaimer that totals may be “artificially low” Saturday to Monday because of “limited weekend reporting.”

The state data shows 73,664 people who have been tested, representing an infection rate of about 9 percent. That figure has been declining steadily in the state since it peaked at 12.66 percent on April 23.

Public health experts have said they expected the number of new cases reported each day would climb as testing for coronavirus infections became more widespread. The infection rate, which has been falling steadily for weeks in the state, and deaths and hospitalizations, which have been mostly flat, are more accurate indicators of the status of the outbreak, they say.

On Friday, the Southern Nevada Health District began reporting a per capita breakdown of cases of COVID-19. As of Saturday, there were 227.4 cases per 100,000 population.

In Clark County, 1,430 people have been hospitalized at some point while sick, according to the health district. There are also 3,963 people who have recovered, meaning those people are at least seven days past any hospitalization, have completed quarantine or isolation and are 14 days past the onset of symptoms.

In other developments:

— Elko County reported two more cases of coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total in the county to 20, with one person who has died and 13 who have recovered.

— State data shows two more employees with the Nevada Department of Corrections have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total to 18 cases with 13 people who have recovered. No prisoners have tested positive for the virus, and 56 have been tested as of Monday, the department said.

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

Review-Journal staff writer Julie Wootton-Greener contributed to this report.