Las Vegas, NV (KXNT) - COVID-19 cases jumped by more than 5,000 over the past week in Clark County and wastewater samples show a growing presence of the virus in several parts of Southern Nevada.
Data from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services shows 5,398 new cases over the past week. The 14-day moving average for daily COVID-19 cases is now at 611, up from 491 a week ago. That's a 21% increase, much lower than the 40% increase reported last week.
Wastewater surveillance helps health officials see COVID-19 levels increasing before people even feel sick, and four of the seven active monitoring sites in the valley show increases since previous reports.
The omicron "stealth" variant (BA.2) is currently the dominant variant at 84.7% of the cases, with the latest form (BA.2.12.1) accounting for 14.7% of cases analyzed by the Southern Nevada Health District. The original omicron virus makes up only 0.6% of the cases. The BA.2.12.1 variant has been growing nationwide.
Hospitalizations in Clark County are continuing to grow, and are at 230, up 39 since last week. The Nevada Hospital Association reports that hospitals are able to handle the higher patient counts without any problems.
Clark County reported 19 COVID-19 related deaths. Statewide, there were 24.
57% of eligible Nevadans are fully vaccinated, with 68% having initiated the vaccination process.