New Nevada COVID cases, deaths remain high as trend lines decline

Nevada on Wednesday reported 348 new coronavirus cases and five additional deaths over the preceding day.

Updated figures posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought totals in the state to 321,716 cases and 5,545 deaths since the pandemic began.

New cases remained higher than the 14-day moving average of daily recorded cases, which dropped to 176. Fatalities were also higher than the daily average of two deaths during that same time period.

State officials have said that due to delayed reports and redistributed data, it is normal for daily announced increases to be higher than the moving averages. State and county health agencies redistribute the 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.

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 0.1 percentage points on Wednesday, reaching 4.8 percent.

Tuesday was the first time in more than a month that the rate has dropped below 5 percent, which is the World Health Organization’s target to prevent spread of the disease.

Clark County’s positivity rate also dropped below the agency’s threshold on Wednesday, decreasing by 0.1 percentage points to reach 4.9 percent, according to the state data.

As of Wednesday’s report, there were 301 people in Nevada hospitalized with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases — two fewer than the day prior.

The Nevada Hospital Association has reported that Nevada has not seen “any significant hospitalization increases” since May 1, when mitigation measures were handed off to local jurisdictions and occupancy limits increased in Clark County, Caleb Cage, the state’s COVID-19 response director, said during a call with reporters Wednesday.

The Southern Nevada Health District, meanwhile, reported 284 new coronavirus cases and four additional deaths in Clark County.

Cumulative totals in the county rose to 249,295 cases and 4,370 deaths.

The Clark County figures are reflected in the state reporting.

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