Nevada’s COVID positivity rate drops, deaths remain high

Nevada on Wednesday reported 659 additional coronavirus cases and 23 deaths over the preceding day.

Updated figures from the Department of Health and Human Services posted on the state’s coronavirus website brought cumulative totals to 285,795 cases and 4,582 deaths.

New cases were slightly above the moving 14-day average of 650 daily recorded cases. Deaths, however, remained above the moving daily average of 15 for the two-week period, state data shows.

The state’s positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are confirmed to have been infected, dropped to 14.8 percent — a 0.5-percentage-point decrease from the previous day. The rate has been falling steadily since peaking at 21.7 percent on Jan. 13.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

As of Wednesday, there are 922 people in Nevada hospitalized with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, which is 49 fewer than the previous day, state data shows. Data can fluctuate day by day, but state officials have reported that hospitalization totals have decreased in recent weeks, especially in the northern region of the state.

Clark County on Wednesday reported 602 new coronavirus cases and 16 additional deaths, according to data posted to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website.

The updated figures brought cumulative totals for the county to 220,204 cases and 3,525 deaths.

The county’s two-week positivity rate on Wednesday dropped 0.5 percentage points from the previous day to 16.2 percent, or 1.4 percentage points higher than the state’s rate.

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