Faint but encouraging signs seen in Nevada’s new COVID data

There were small but encouraging signs Wednesday that Nevada’s current surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations could be slowing.

The top-line numbers posted by the state Department of Health and Human Services were daunting: 916 new coronavirus cases and 16 additional deaths — well above the two week moving average of 10 per day — over the preceding day.

But the new cases data contained a sliver of good news: For the second day in a row, the two week moving average of new coronavirus cases registered a slight decline, with the latest figure dipping from 950 the preceding day to 926. New cases reported Wednesday also were below the moving average.

Meanwhile, the Nevada Hospital Association reported Wednesday that the current wave of hospitalizations of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients appears to be slowing in Southern Nevada, even as a similar surge gains steam in Northern Nevada.

Caseloads in the north may be increasing due to recent smoky conditions from wildfires, the agency said. However, hospitalizations in the region are not overburdening hospitals at this point.

“We remain cautiously optimistic that Nevada may be reaching the peak of the current wave,” the association said.

But the trade association cautioned that many Southern Nevada hospitals are operating at or beyond capacity and noted that, based on prior surges of the disease, “historically, significant case counts remain within the hospitals for close to a month once the peak has been reached.”

Despite those still faint signals, metrics for the disease remain at levels not seen since late January or early February as the toll of the sick and dead continues to mount, in large part because of the dominating presence of the delta variant of the coronavirus in the state.

Wednesday’s update to the state’s coronavirus website pushed totals in the state to 368,625 cases and 6,080 deaths.

It also reported there were 1,317 people in Nevada hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, 38 more than the day prior.

Hospitalizations have been climbing alongside most other disease metrics since June. The metric on Wednesday reached the highest level since 1,322 hospitalizations were recorded on Jan. 28, state data shows.

The state’s two-week test positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are found to be infected, remained unchanged at 16.3 percent for the second day in a row.

The rate has climbed steadily since hitting a recent low of 3.3 percent on June 9. The metric now stands at its highest level since Feb. 2.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

The surge of the disease has led to a small but noticeable rise in vaccinations in the state.

As of Wednesday, the two-week average of vaccinations stood at 6,243 per day, down slightly from 6,578 per day the previous day but well above the the recent low average of 4,833 doses per day reported on July 15.

State data now show that 48.71 percent of eligible Nevadans 12 and older had been vaccinated, which is 0.06 percentage points higher than the prior day, according to state data.

Clark County, meanwhile, recorded 632 new COVID-19 cases and 15 additional deaths, according to data from the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website.

Cumulative totals in the county rose to 289,746 cases and 4,875 deaths.

The county’s two-week test positivity rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points on Wednesday, to 16.9 percent.

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