*NOTE: Daily lab data from DHHS and SNHD reports is updated every morning for the previous day.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The state of Nevada is reporting 20 new COVID-19-related deaths, according to numbers released by the state today. Nineteen of the deaths were reported in Clark County in the past 24 hours.
Data released Thursday notes 976 new COVID-19 cases in Nevada and 805 in Clark County in the last day. Statewide, 12,492 tests were reported on Thursday — possibly including some tests reported from a backlog as the state and a vendor continue working on reporting.
In Clark County, new hospitalizations have surged over the past few days, with 84 new hospitalizations reported today, and more than 300 new hospitalizations this week. The state’s total number of patients reported today dropped by 82, and more than 100 for the week.
Over the course of the past four to five weeks, recent COVID-19 data shows Nevada is continuing to set records for cases, testing, hospitalizations, ICU patients and ventilator usage. Scroll to read to full COVID-19 report for Thursday, Aug. 6.
NEVADA HOSPITALIZATIONS
NOTE: The state is not updating hospitalization data, including the number of patients in ICU units or on ventilators, on Sundays.
According to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the number of hospitalized patients in Nevada was down on Thursday, according to data released Friday.
The state reported 1,035 confirmed/suspected cases on Aug. 6, which is an decrease of 82 from the previous day.
That marks the first time in more than two weeks that COVID-19 hospitalizations have dipped below 1,100, having ranged from 1,100 to 1165 during the previous 15-day period, according to Nevada Health Response.
The state set a record for hospitalized patients on Friday, July 31 with 1,165 cases.
The highest numbers of hospitalizations have all been reported since July 23.
Top 5 | Number of Hospitalizations (statewide) | Date reported |
1 | 1,165 | July 31 |
2 | 1,160 | July 23 |
3 | 1,159 | July 30 |
4 | 1,152 | August 2 |
5 | 1,148 | August 4 |
ICU/VENTILATOR DATA FOR THURSDAY, AUG. 6:
There were 289 patients in intensive care units (ICU) across the state Thursday, which is down 18 from the previous day.
The DHHS report showed 178 patients on ventilators, down 30 from the previous day.
More data from the Nevada Hospital Association (as of Aug. 6):
- Statewide hospital occupancy rates: 77%
- ICU units occupancy rate: 67%
- Ventilators in use: 43%
NEVADA CASES, TESTING, DEATHS
There are now 54,533 confirmed cases and 920 COVID-19-related deaths in Nevada. There were 976 new cases reported in the last day.
The DHHS is reporting 20 new COVID-19-related deaths statewide in the past 24 hours. It is important to note there is a delay in death reporting by both the state and county.
“Please keep in mind that the death rates we are seeing correspond to cases diagnosed up to 5 weeks ago,” Nevada Health Response stated in a news release.
Nevada reported its highest increase of fatalities in a 24-hour period on Thursday, July 30 with 29 deaths. Data from Monday through Thursday of last week recorded 20 or more deaths each day.
Fifteen deaths were reported on both Sunday and Monday of this week.
A recent update to the state’s COVID-19 daily death graph (page 6 of DHHS dashboard) shows July 29 had the highest count of fatalities with 19, followed by 18 deaths on July 21.
The Nevada DHHS says it is important to note that there is often a delay in death reporting. Cumulative daily death counts are displayed by the date of death, rather than the date the death was reported to the state. The total count for statewide deaths on the first tab may not equal the sum of the cumulative daily death counts because of cases where exact date of death is unknown or pending report.
Here are the largest single-day increases for COVID-19 cases in Nevada:
Top 5 | Number of COVID-19 cases (statewide) | Date reported |
1 | 1,447 | July 15 |
2 | 1,380 | July 16 |
3 | 1,288 | July 18 |
4 | 1,264 | July 30 |
5 | 1,262 | July 22 |
The state’s health experts say as more testing sites open and more COVID-19 tests are conducted, the state will see a rise in cases.
As of Thursday, a total of 679,842 tests have been conducted in Nevada, up 12,492 from the previous day. More cases reported Wednesday and Thursday could be due to continuing work by the state and a vendor on test collections.
Since June 10, Nevada’s cumulative test positivity rate has risen or stayed the same. The cumulative test positivity rate now sits at 10.4 percent, while the daily positivity rate is 17.8 percent.
The state has changed their calculations for cumulative test positivity rate and 7-day averages. Starting Aug. 4, the test positivity rate is calculated as the number of laboratory positive molecular tests divided by the number of molecular tested administered.
The cumulative positivity rate is cumulative through the most recent specimen collection date with data available, Nevada Health Response stated in a news release.
*NOTE: Daily lab data from DHHS and SNHD reports is updated every morning for the previous day.
CLARK COUNTY CASES, TESTING, DEATHS
Of Nevada’s 976 new COVID-19 cases, 805 of them were reported in Clark County on Thursday, according to data released by the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) Friday.
The health district is reporting 19 new COVID-19-related deaths and 84 new hospitalizations.
There is now a total of 770 deaths, 46,990 confirmed cases and 3,089 hospitalizations, according to the Southern Nevada Health District dashboard that updates daily.
SNHD data shows that 5,734 positive cases were reported in the county over the past seven days.
More than a quarter of the cases (26.2%) reported in Clark County are among Hispanics, making it the most impacted ethic group locally and nearly half (48.8%) of the positive cases reported in the county are in the age group of 25 to 49.
In its most recent report, the health district states that 33.0 people have died for every 100,000 people in Clark County.
The number of people who have recovered from the virus in Clark County continues to increase. As of Thursday, the county estimates a total of 39,553 recovered cases; that’s 84.2% of all reported cases in the county, according to SNHD’s latest report.
The health district provides a daily map with the number of positive tests in each ZIP code in Clark County.
NEVADA COVID-19 MITIGATION EFFORTS
As Nevada continues to get a handle on the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Steve Sisolak has laid out a new plan to help stop the spread of the virus. During a press conference on Monday, Gov. Sisolak announced that Nevada will be keeping the emphasis on enforcement as the state’s response heads in a different direction. His new long-term plan will be state managed, but locally executed.
Here is a quick breakdown of how it will work:
- Every week, the state will update the Elevated Disease Transmission Criteria for each county. That includes testing, case rates and positivity rates.
- Counties at high risk will need to create and implement an action plan that targets sources of infection and community spread.
For more on this new approach, click HERE.
During a press conference on Monday, July 27, Sisolak announced the state would be moving away from the Phased reopening approach, saying that enforcement needs to be more targeted. The latest numbers show some improvement, but he’s making it clear, now is not the time to stop social distancing wearing masks.
As Nevada saw its percentage of positive cases and hospitalizations rise weeks ago, Sisolak announced the previous directive on July 9 aimed at bars in certain counties. He mandated that specific bars had to return to Phase 1 restrictions on Friday, July 10, to prevent further spread of the virus.
On July 27, Sisolak announced bars in Clark County, as well as in Elko, Washoe and Nye counties, will remain closed for at least the next week. Previously, bars were closed in seven Nevada counties.
The directive is the second time Nevada has tightened restrictions since the state started reopening in early June, allowing businesses including bars, restaurants, casinos and hotels to accept customers.
The state transitioned into Phase 2 of reopening on Friday, May 29, after a directive in mid-March that forced all non-essential businesses to close to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.
Nevada Health Response officials noted Tuesday, June 9, that Nevada’s COVID-19 data is showing an above-average daily increase in COVID-19 cases throughout the state. They are reminding Nevadans of precautionary measures that can be taken to minimize the spread of the virus such as staying at home when possible, wearing a face-covering in public, maintaining six feet of social distancing and keeping up with proper hand hygiene.
SEE ALSO: Thursday’s reports
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