Clark County reports 19 new COVID-19 deaths as infections continue at high rateFree

Clark County reported 19 new deaths from COVID-19 on Thursday as the number of new cases rose in the latest data from Clark County Public Health.

The deaths included one man in his 40s, two men in their 50s, three men in their 70s and four men age 80 or older; two women in their 50s, two women in their 60s, two women in their 70s and three women age 80 or older, according to Public Health data. Public Health said it is known that six of those who died had underlying conditions, but information on the status of the remaining fatalities was not available due to changes in how the county reports deaths from COVID-19.

To date, COVID-19 has been linked to 417 deaths in Clark County, according to Public Health data. Deaths are added to the county’s total 10 to 12 days after they occur.

Public Health reported 1,182 new COVID-19 cases since Sept. 24, for an average of about 169 new cases a day, up from the average of 160 last week but lower than the most recent peak of 228 for the seven days ending Sept. 2.

The previous week’s dip in case totals led to a lower but still high activity rate this week, with 465.8 new cases per 100,000 population over two weeks, down from 521.2 last week. The two-week rolling average rose from a low of 53.3 on July 15 to a peak of 549.3 on Sept. 9 as the more contagious delta variant became dominant in the state.

The rate of new hospital admissions dropped over the past seven days, falling to 13 per 100,000 over seven days from 17.2 the week before, according to Public Health.

Public Heath reported that 93.7 percent of the county’s hospital beds and 95.2 percent of its ICU beds were occupied as of Tuesday. The agency said 22.3 percent of the hospital beds and 50.8 percent of the ICU beds were occupied by people with or suspected of having COVID-19.

As of Monday, 68.2 percent of Clark County residents age 12 or older had received at least one dose of vaccine and 61.8 percent were fully vaccinated, according to Public Health data.