Clark County’s COVID-19 activity level reached new heights in data released Tuesday, as the county reported 37 new cases and no new deaths.
The county’s activity level, which tracks the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population reported over a two-week period, rose to 123.85 cases per 100,000 population over 14 days, up from 115.05 one week earlier, according to Clark County Public Health.
Clark County’s total number of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,604, with 1,130 of those cases in October.
That surge in COVID-19 cases has been reflected in the county’s activity rate, which was as low as 19.45 per 100,000 population over 14 days on June 26. The Activity level reached 63.1 for the week ending Aug. 31, still in the “moderate” range, raising hopes of more in-person education, but case numbers moved into the “high” range after Labor Day and have been steadily climbing ever since.
Recent activity levels were 86.18 as of Sept. 28; 95.6 as of Oct. 5; 100.1 as of Oct. 12; and 115.05 as of Oct. 19.
Under state Department of Health guidelines, schools in counties where the transmission rate is more than 75 new cases per 100,000 residents should keep classes online and postpone or cancel all sports or extracurricular activities except for small groups of high-needs students.
On Monday, nine Clark County public school districts announced plans to offer in-person learning for kindergartners in the coming weeks. District officials said that because kindergarten students have no experience with school, remote learning has been particularly difficult for them to navigate. Health officials said they believe sufficient safety precautions have been put in place.
In-person kindergarten classes are already underway in the Evergreen school district.
Clark County school officials agreed around Labor Day that COVID-19 activity levels should fall back into the “moderate” range (25 to 75 new cases per 100,000 over 14 days) and remain there for three consecutive weeks before reopening schools to students beyond kindergartners and students with special needs.
The county has recorded 69 deaths from COVID-19 to date. No new deaths were reported Tuesday, after three deaths were reported Monday.
As of Tuesday, there were 16 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Clark County and seven hospitalized awaiting test results.
The county reported 165 active COVID-19 cases, a measure that tracks people with COVID-19 who are still in their isolation period.
