Clark County reports 21 more COVID-19 deaths, state total hits 112

Twenty-one more deaths from COVID-19 were reported in Clark County as of Saturday morning, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

Statewide, the death toll reached 112 on Saturday, according to reports by state and local health districts and emergency agencies.

There were 147 new cases of COVID-19 reported statewide Saturday, bringing the confirmed case total to 2,751, according to health districts and counties. The total cases number differed from the lower statewide total posted Saturday at nvhealthresponse.nv.gov. That number often doesn’t align with totals from local agencies because of differing reporting cycles.

The Southern Nevada Health District is reporting 2,258 cases and 96 deaths. On Friday, there were 75 deaths and 2,144 cases, according to county data.

“These deaths are a tragedy for the families and our community as a whole,” Dr. Fermin Leguen, acting health officer for the Southern Nevada Health District, said late Friday, after the death toll statewide was reported to have surpassed 100.

“It is important for everyone to continue to do their part to limit the spread of disease by practicing social distancing, wearing face coverings when they need to access essential services and staying home and away from others when they are sick,” he said.

He also acknowledged the dedication and sacrifices from health care professionals fighting this outbreak throughout the state.

As of midday Saturday, Washoe County was reporting one additional death: a woman in her 90s with an underlying medical condition. She marked the 11th death in the Northern Nevada county.

The county also reported an additional 26 positive cases on Saturday, bringing the total caseload to 415, with 59 people having recovered.

On Friday, 16 deaths were reported in the state, raising the total to 102 and marking the largest single-day increase announced by the state since the first reported death on March 16.

According to state data, the total number of confirmed cases wasdrawn from tests on 23,587 people, representing an infection rate of just over 11 percent. That number is likely elevated because a shortage of testing supplies has largely limited testing to those seriously ill or who had been in close contact with a diagnosed patient.

Also on Saturday, Dutch Bros. announced an employee at its coffee shop on 3265 S. Rainbow Blvd. in Las Vegas tested positive for COVID-19. The company said in a statement it learned Friday of the positive test result. The employee began exhibiting symptoms the afternoon of March 31.

On Friday, a spokesman confirmed that an employee in the Clark County District Attorney Office’s Family Support division has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee, who works in the division that processes child support collection, has not reported to work since April 2 and notified the county of the positive test on Thursday, according to county spokesman Kevin MacDonald,

MacDonald said the employee had no direct contact with the public or colleagues since March 17, when the building where they work was closed to the public and staff was reduced to maintain social distancing guidelines.

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