New COVID-19 cases number 649 in Nevada

Nevada Health Response reported Nevada logged 649 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 52,828.

Of the new cases, 566 were in Clark County, 57 were in Washoe County and the remaining 26 were in the rest of the state.

For the most recent seven-day period, cases grew at a rate or 2.1% per day. By comparison, cases grew 2.3% per day the week ending July 31 and 3.9% for the week ending June 30.

The state reported 28 deaths Tuesday, with a hospitalization rate of 77% and an ICU occupancy rate of 67%. About 46% of ventilators statewide are in use.

Through Tuesday, 7.823 COVID-19 cases have been identified as a result of contact tracing, representing 14.8% of the total to date.

Caleb Cage, Nevada COVID-19 response director and Julia Peek, deputy administrator of community health services, provided updates during a daily teleconference with members of the media. They said the unusually low number of new tests added to the system could indicate a date backlog, and they are working with the vendor to correct that.

Given the current numbers, Cage and Peek said it is extremely important to social distance, wear a face covering, not socialize in big groups and maintain general hygiene and cleanliness.