Nevada registers 2,902 COVID-19 cases and 23 deaths in a day

Nevada recorded 2,902 additional coronavirus cases and 23 new fatalities over the preceding day, according to state data posted Friday.

The updated figures posted to the Department of Health and Human Services’ coronavirus website brought state totals to 162,434 cases and 2,272 deaths since early March.

New cases were the biggest one-day increase since Saturday, when 2,912 cases were recorded, state data shows. Friday’s reported cases were also well above the moving seven-day average of 2,302.

The seven-day moving average of deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, increased to a record 25, eclipsing the high of 22 reported Thursday, the state data shows.

Thursday also had the highest number of deaths reported in a single day: 48.

The state also reported that public health officials have now tested more than 1 million people for the virus — 1,004,655, to be precise.

Hospitalizations of patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases continued to climb, reaching a new high of 1,678, up 33 from the previous day.

Southern Nevada hospitals are closest to reaching capacity, with 89 percent of licensed beds occupied, according to data from the Nevada Hospital Association. That compares with 51 percent in rural areas and 76 percent in the north.

However, rural Nevada has the largest proportion of COVID-19 patients among those hospitalized, 45 percent. COVID-19 hospitalizations make up 30 percent of patients in Southern Nevada and 27 percent in Northern Nevada.

The state’s positivity rate, calculated by the Review-Journal as the cumulative cases divided by people tested since the pandemic began, reached 16.17 percent on Friday, a 0.2-percentage-point increase from the previous day.

Increases in the positivity rate and the new cases began in mid-September.

The state health department calculates the positivity rate over a two-week period. That rate rose by 0.3 percentage points on Friday to 18.14 percent. The rate is at the highest level since the state began reporting the statistic in mid-October.

Clark County on Friday recorded 1,828 additional cases and 11 new deaths, according to data posted to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website.

The updated figures brought totals in the county to 123,691 cases and 1,828 deaths. Those figures are included in the state reporting.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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