Nevada closing in on 5K COVID-19 deaths

Nevada on Wednesday reported 395 new coronavirus cases and 20 additional deaths over the preceding day, state data shows.

Updated figures posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought state totals to 294,684 COVID-19 cases and 4,987 deaths.

The new fatalities were the highest single-day increase since 21 fatalities were recorded on Feb. 23, according to records maintained by the Review-Journal. That was well above the 14-day moving average of daily recorded fatalities, which remained at seven.

Two days in the past week — Sunday and Monday — saw zero new deaths reported in the state.

New cases also were well above the 14-day moving average of daily recorded cases, which dropped to 281.

The average for cases and deaths have both been trending downward since mid-January, according to state data.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

Both the state and county health agencies often redistribute 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.

As of Wednesday’s report, there were 440 people in Nevada hospitalized with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, 19 fewer than the day prior, according to state data.

Caleb Cage, the state’s COVID-19 response director, said during a briefing call with reporters the Nevada Hospital Association is continuing to report a “downward trajectory” of hospitalizations in the state.

Cage said that safety measures meant to control the spread of the coronavirus also seem to be keeping Nevadans from getting sick with other diseases.

“The hospital association is also reporting that influenza is a non-starter this year,” Cage said.

The state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are found to be infected, decreased by 0.2 percentage points, reaching 7.1 percent.

Clark County on Wednesday recorded 348 new coronavirus cases and 16 additional deaths, according to data posted to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website.

Cumulative totals in the county rose to 227,455 cases and 3,887 deaths.

The county’s 14-day positivity rate dropped to 7.9 percent on Wednesday, which is a 0.2-percentage-point decrease from the day prior. The rate remained 0.8 percentage points higher than the state’s average.

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