Nevada’s COVID-19 metrics hold steady in recent normal range

Nevada on Thursday reported 296 new coronavirus cases and seven additional deaths over the preceding day.

Updated figures posted by the Department of Health and Human Services on the state’s coronavirus website brought totals in the state to 328,490 cases and 5,642 deaths since the pandemic began.

New cases remained higher than the moving two-week average of daily reported cases, which increased slightly to 130 on Thursday. Deaths also were higher than the moving average of two fatalities reported daily over the same period.

But both figures were in the normal range for the past several weeks. State officials have said that it is typical for daily figures to be higher than the moving averages due to delayed reports and redistributed data.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

The state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially measures the percentage of people tested who were found to be infected with the virus, remained unchanged for the second day in a row at 3.5 percent.

As of Thursday’s update, there were 255 people in Nevada hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, four more than the day prior, according to the state data.

Clark County on Thursday reported 241 new cases, the Southern Nevada Health District reported. All of the deaths reported for the preceding day in the state occurred in the county.

Cumulative totals for the county rose to 255,153 cases and 4,459 deaths.

The county’s positivity rate increased by 0.1 percentage point, reaching 3.6 percent, according to state data.

The health district also issued its weekly update on so-called breakthrough cases, in which people who are fully vaccinated contract COVID-19, but reported no new cases over the preceding week. The total number of such cases confirmed in the county stands at 34, including three deaths.

Per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, the report excludes those who are not hospitalized or recorded as a COVID-19 death and therefore understates the actual number of such cases.

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