Nevada’s major COVID-19 metrics rise again, positivity rate hits 8.7%

Nevada on Friday reported 813 new coronavirus cases and 13 additional deaths over the preceding day.

Updated figures posted by the Department of Health and Human Services on the state’s coronavirus website pushed totals in the state to 338,072 COVID cases and 5,720 deaths.

New cases were well above the moving 14-day average of daily reported cases, which increased to 394. Deaths were also higher than the moving average of three fatalities per day over the same time period.

State and county health agencies often 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.

Data guide: COVID-19’s impact on Nevada

The state’s two-week test positivity rate, which essentially tracks the percentage of people tested for COVID-19 who are found to be infected, continued its recent increase, jumping by 0.5 percentage points to reach 8.7 percent, according to state data.

State officials on Thursday said that Nevada’s COVID-19 metric are rising in parts of the state with lower vaccination rates, including Clark County and some rural areas.

There were 640 people in Nevada hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases as of Friday’s report, which is 27 more than the day prior. Hospitalizations also have been growing since hitting a recent low of 209 on June 12 and are now at levels last seen in February.

In Clark County, there were 771 new coronavirus cases reported Friday, according to the Southern Nevada Health District’s coronavirus website. All of the deaths recorded in the state on Friday occurred in Clark County.

Cumulative totals in the county rose to 263,915 cases and 4,530 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

The county’s two-week positivity rate also increased by 0.5 percentage points, reaching 9.7 percent.

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.