Nevada adds fewest new COVID-19 cases after weekend in 2 months

Nevada on Monday reported 2,215 new coronavirus cases — the lowest total in two months following a weekend — and 35 deaths over the preceding three days.

Data posted online by the Department of Health and Human Services pushed state totals to 412,317 cases and 6,880 deaths.

The total of new COVID-19 cases was the lowest after a weekend since the state reported 2,067 new cases on July 19.

Despite the dip, the 14-day moving average of new cases average jumped from 877 on Friday to 891 on Monday, continuing a recent see-saw pattern in the metric. The daily average for deaths over the same two-week period fell from held at 11.

New cases were below the two-week average, when spread over three days. Deaths averaged over the three days were just above the moving average of 11 per day, which remained unchanged from Friday.

Separately, the Washoe County Regional Information Center on Monday reported its 800th COVID-19 related death in the county and provided details on the 100 most recent deaths reported over the last 42 days. Of those, 14 occurred in residents younger than 50 and 84 were either not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated. Of the 16 deaths resulting from so-called breakthrough cases, where the residents were vaccinated but still became sick and died, all had underlying health conditions, the agency said.

State and county health agencies often redistribute daily data after it is reported to better reflect the date of death or onset of symptoms, which is why the moving-average trend lines frequently differ from daily reports and are considered better indicators of the direction of the outbreak.

Positivity rate ticks down

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, dropped o.1 percentage point to 11.2 percent, according to state data.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

The rate has retreated from its recent high of 16.4 percent on Aug. 13, according to state data. Since then, it dropped quickly before flattening over the past 10 days.

The state also reported that 1,004 people in Nevada were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, 33 fewer than reported on Friday. That figure has been fluctuating lately but remains well below its recent high of 1,317 on Aug. 10.

As of Monday’s report, 54.32 percent of Nevadans 12 and older had been fully vaccinated.

The state on Monday also reported a total of 654 so-called breakthrough cases in which someone who is fully vaccinated is infected by COVID-19. That was up by 64 cases from the 600 reported by the state on Sept. 9.

Of the total, 398 occurred in people over the age of 70, while just six came in the 20-29 age group. Clark County had by far the most, with 557.

Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nevada only reports breakthrough cases in people who are hospitalized. That means there are plenty of breakthrough cases that are not reported.

There have been a total of 149 breakthrough deaths, with 93 occurring in people over the age of 70. That was 15 more than the 134 reported on Sept. 9.

That rate, though, varies widely from county to county. Carson City has the state’s highest vaccination rate, at 64.36 percent, while Storey County is on the other end of the spectrum at 18.70 percent.

Clark County numbers

The Southern Nevada Health District, meanwhile, reported 1,287 new coronavirus cases and 31 additional deaths from Friday through Sunday in Clark County.

Totals in the county rose to 315,569 cases and 5,477 deaths.

The county’s two-week test positivity rate held at 8.8 percent.

That translated to a 9.05 percent rate using a seven-day average, in the “substantial” category of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s metrics.

Remembering those we’ve lost to COVID-19

To exit the mask mandate, the county must record back-to-back weeks with a positivity rate of 8.0 percent or lower and two successive weeks of fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents. As of Monday, the county’s rate in that category stood at 189.92 per 100,000 over the past week.

All Nevada counties currently are rated in the CDC’s “high” rate of transmission tier.

County numbers are included in the statewide totals.

Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.