John Locher/AP
A healthcare worker tests a patient in their car at a drive-thru coronavirus testing site run by the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Medicine and the Nevada National Guard, Friday, July 10, 2020, in Las Vegas.
Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 | 3:57 p.m.
RENO — The average number of new daily cases of coronavirus in Nevada has declined through the week but the statewide test positivity rate has continued to climb to its highest level since the beginning of September, health officials said Friday.
The 14-day rolling average for new cases dropped to 519 on Thursday, down from 596 on Monday — the highest it had been since 597 on Aug. 21. The peak average in Nevada since the first case was confirmed in March was 1,250 in mid-July.
The positivity rate of 9.6% on Wednesday and Thursday was the highest it has been since 9.8% on Sept. 2. It had dipped as low as 6.5% in mid-September, but has been on the rise ever since.
The World Health Organization has set a goal of 5%.
Nevada now has a cumulative total of 93,666 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 1,738 deaths, Nevada COVID-19 Director Caleb Cage said Friday.
He said there were 439 patients hospitalized with confirmed for suspected COVID-19 as of Thursday but that “hospital infrastructure in Nevada remains in good condition."
About 75% of Nevada’s hospital beds are currently occupied, as are 63% of the ICU beds, with 25% of all ventilators currently in use.
