Nevada sees fewer than 1K new COVID cases for second day in a row

Nevada on Tuesday reported 956 new coronavirus cases and 59 additional fatalities, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The updated figures posted to the state’s coronavirus website brought totals to 272,853 cases and 4,088 deaths.

The additional COVID-19 deaths came one day after the state reported only three deaths, but it was not clear if reporting issues played a role in the big one-day jump.

The 14-day moving average of daily reported deaths remained at 18 on Tuesday, state data shows.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

New cases were below the two-week moving average of daily cases, which fell by 69 to 1,212. It was the second straight day that the figure was below 1,000, the first back-to-back triple-digit increases in the state since Nov. 2-3.

Meanwhile, the state’s two-week positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested who are diagnosed with the disease, fell to 18.9 percent, a 0.5 percentage-point decrease from the day before. It was the 11th straight daily decline for the statistic, state data shows.

The number of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients occupying staffed beds at the state’s hospitals ticked upward to 1,462, an increase of 21 from the previous day.

The Nevada Hospital Association said that 76 percent of staffed beds were occupied statewide, compared with 80 percent in Southern Nevada. Occupancy of staffed adult beds in intensive care units around the state stood at 68 percent statewide, versus 76 percent in the South.

Clark County on Tuesday reported 797 new coronavirus cases, along with 56 additional deaths, according to data posted to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website. Cumulative totals for the county rose to 209,726 cases and 3,124 deaths.

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