NEW: COVID-19 numbers trending lower in Clark County headed into the weekend – KLAS – 8 News Now

January 29, 2022

Below is the full COVID-19 report for Jan. 27.

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Case counts, test positivity rates and hospitalizations are all trending downward as the weekend begins all signs that the COVID-19 numbers will continue to decline in Clark County and across the state.

Hopes that the omicron variant has reached its peak continue to see evidence in the numbers released today. The delta variant remains as a source of concern after several weeks that brought soaring numbers of omicron cases.

Deaths often reported days or even weeks after they actually occur will continue in the wake of the latest surge. In todays reports, of the 39 deaths reported statewide, 33 occurred in Clark County.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals declined by 68 in Clark County (now 1,524 total) and by 69 statewide (now 1,797 total).

Clark County reports 2,566 new COVID-19 cases about 250 fewer than yesterday while the state reported 3,999 new cases. Omicron accounts for 99% of the cases statewide, with the remaining 1% caused by the delta variant.

Test positivity rates continue to fall, with Clark County reporting 34.3% and the state reporting 34.0%. Its a long way to the states goal of 8% (or lower) test positivity, but the rate has now dropped for five straight days.

The lower infection rate doesnt mean the virus isnt still circulating. The omicron variant is highly contagious, and vaccines have proven to reduce the chance of severe illness. Health officials emphasize the importance of getting vaccinated and wearing a mask indoors in public places.

In a report on breakthrough cases, the Southern Nevada Health District said that the delta variant not omicron is responsible for 94% of all breakthrough cases. Omicron hasnt caused any hospitalizations or deaths, SNHD said in a recent report, and it is causing only 1% of breakthrough cases to date.

The graphs below show the test positivity for the state (first image), followed by Clark Countys test positivity rate.

A total of 15,339 tests were reported in the county, and 20,242 across Nevada. People can now begin ordering four COVID-19 home tests from the post office for free delivery (https://www.covidtests.gov/). At-home tests are not even counted in the states figures.

Information from the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory indicates that 100% of the recently tested samples in Clark County were from the omicron variant. Omicron accounts for 99% of the recent cases across the state. About 5% of all tests are analyzed to determine which strain of COVID-19 is present, according to the labs website.

A look at current COVID-19 numbers:

As of Jan. 20, the Southern Nevada Health District reports there are 282 breakthrough deaths (+12), 919 breakthrough hospitalizations (+23) and 50,443 breakthrough cases (+11,342). (Increases are compared to numbers reported on Jan. 13.) Breakthrough cases now account for almost 42% of all new COVID-19 cases.

SNHD notes that the delta variant accounts for 86% of all breakthrough deaths, 92% of breakthrough hospitalizations and 94% of breakthrough cases. Omicron hasnt caused any hospitalizations or deaths, SNHD said, and it is causing only 1% of breakthrough cases to date.

*NOTE: Daily lab data from DHHS and SNHD reports is updated every morning for theprevious day.

The test positivity rate in Clark County is at 35.0%, which keeps the county on the states watch list for elevated transmission risk. The rate must be below 8% and a separate measure of the countys case rate currently high at 702.7 cases (per 100,000 population over the past seven days) needs to drop below 50 for two straight weeks before the mask mandate can end.

In todays report, all of Nevadas 17 counties are flagged for high transmission.

Clark Countys case rate (4,427 per 100,000 over the past 30 days) and test positivity rate (34.3%) are flagged in data reported today. Testing (639 tests per day per 100,000) is within the states acceptable range.

Thestates health department reports4,184,649 dosesof the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Nevada,as of Jan. 27.

As of yesterday, 55.70% of Nevadans currently eligible for the vaccine are fully vaccinated, and 66.33% of the eligible population has initiated vaccinations. Clark County reports that 55.08% of its eligible residents are fully vaccinated.

NOTE: The state is not updating hospitalization dataonweekendsor holidays.

According to the statesDepartment of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the number of hospitalized patients in Nevada wasdown (-69) since yesterday. The number of patients dropped by 68 in Clark County.

The current number of hospitalizations is1,797 confirmed/suspected cases statewide. Hospitals reported 325 of those patients were in intensive care units, and 169 were on ventilators.To give some perspective, the state set a record high for hospitalized patients on Dec. 13, 2020, with 2,025 patients.

A weekly update from the Nevada Hospital Association notes that the sheer volume of omicron cases has overwhelmed hospitals in Clark County.

While omicron appears to be less virulent than other variants, the sheer volume of cases is stressing the hospitals combined with employee illness and required isolation days, NHA said.

The graphs below show hospitalizations in Nevada (first image) and in Clark County:

The number of people who have recovered from the virus in Southern Nevada continues to increase. The latest county update estimates a total of 430,339 recovered cases; thats 91.7% of all reported cases in the county, according toSNHDs latest report.

Nevadareopened to 100% capacity on June 1and social distancing guidelines lifted, helping the state return to mostly pre-pandemic times, with some exceptions.

The CDC reversed course on July 27, saying fully vaccinated Americans in areas with substantial and high transmission should wear masks indoors when in public as COVID-19 cases rise. Most of Nevada falls into those two risk categories.

Nevada said it would adopt the CDCs guidance with the new mask guidelinethat went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on July 30. Thisoverrides Clark Countys employee mask mandate, which went into effect in mid-July.

On Aug. 16, Gov. Sisolak signed a new directivethat allows fully vaccinated attendees at large gatherings to remove their masks, but only if the venue chooses to require everyone in attendance to provide proof of vaccination. Those who have just one shot and are not fully vaccinated would still be allowed to attend, as would children under 12, but both would need to wear masks.

Masks still must be worn when required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local businesses and workplace guidance.

State approval for vaccinating children 5-11 years old was given on Nov. 3, with plans by the Southern Nevada Health District to begin vaccinations on Nov. 10. The Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine approved for children at this time.

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