Diane Vega, a respiratory therapist at UMC, processes sealed COVID-19 tests at the new Cashman Center testing facility, Mon. Aug 3, 2020.
Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020 | 12:18 p.m.
Health officials in Nevada on Sunday reported 2,511 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 14 additional deaths and a record high two-week positivity rate.
The latest numbers pushed the state’s totals to 168,139 cases since the pandemic began with 2,315 known deaths.
Nevada Department of Health and Human Services officials said the state’s positivity rate calculated over a two-week period now is 21%.
On Saturday, Nevada reported a record 3,194 cases with 29 deaths.
It was only the second time the state had more than 3,000 additional cases on a single day. The previous time was 3,159 cases on Nov. 25.
Gov. Steve Sisolak noted the record high number of additional cases and the state’s high COVID-19 positivity rate and urged Nevadans to stay home as much as possible, wear masks and avoid crowds.
Sisolak said the outbreak is straining hospitals and the state is “in the middle of our three-week statewide pause and we cannot let our guard down against this virus now.”
The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
