CARSON CITY — Nevada officials reported 1,221 new coronavirus cases and 5 new deaths on Monday, bringing the statewide totals to 262,794 confirmed cases and 3,779 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The single-day increases were notably less compared to spikes reported earlier in January. Nevada recorded 63 deaths on Saturday, marking the state's highest single-day death toll. On Jan. 7, the state reported 3,402 new confirmed cases, marking its highest single-day increase.
The number of new cases and deaths reported regularly dips over weekends and holidays, when less testing centers and labs are open to conduct and process tests. Officials caution against drawing conclusions from single-day data and maintain that the state is still amid a months-long surge that rivals the nation's most severe.
Nevada officials on Monday also reported a test positivity rate of 21.1%, calculated as a 14-day rolling average. As of Jan. 14, the Nevada Hospital Association reported 80% of the state's staffed beds were occupied, including by 1,676 patients confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
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Sam Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.