Coronavirus cases trend down in Nevada; deaths still high

New coronavirus cases are trending down in Nevada, where health officials on Tuesday reported 956 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 — a decrease of nearly 72% from a record high set Jan. 7.

But the report of 59 new deaths approaches the highest for a single day in the state during the coronavirus pandemic.

The figures were made public after state officials this week reported a first known case in Nevada of the more contagious variant of COVID-19 strain first found in the United Kingdom last fall — and called on federal health officials to increase the allocation of vaccine doses to the state.

Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, asked acting U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Norris Cochran in a letter on Monday why Nevada has received the second-lowest number of vaccine doses per capita among U.S. states, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

State Department of Health and Human Services data reported Tuesday a confirmed virus case total of nearly 273,000 statewide since last March, and 4,088 deaths.

The state set a daily record of 3,402 newly confirmed cases on Jan. 7, and officials reported 2,648 new cases Jan. 9, followed by 2,259 new cases Jan. 10.

State COVID-19 response officials at the time attributed the surge to the spread of the virus during late-December holidays and predicted that a jump in deaths would follow.

Nevada's highest daily tally of new deaths from the coronavirus was 71 on Jan. 20. State officials reported 63 deaths Jan. 16, 62 on Jan. 14 and 60 on Jan. 6.

The number of infections is generally thought to be higher than reported because many people have not been tested, while studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

The Southern Nevada Health Department on Tuesday reported 797 new coronavirus cases, or 83% of the statewide total, came from Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County, and 56 deaths.

Rural Nye County marked a grim milestone Tuesday, passing 2,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

The sprawling county north and west of Las Vegas has about 46,500 residents and includes the towns of Pahrump and Tonopah. It has tallied 65 deaths from the coronavirus during the pandemic.