CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Nevada health officials on Monday reported 409 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 3 additional deaths, bringing the statewide totals to 66,010 cases and 1,200 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
“We’ve just begun to see some positive trends in the last few weeks,” Gov. Steve Sisolak said.
Nevada’s 10.6% cumulative positivity rate remains considerably higher than the 5% threshold the World Health Organization recommends before reopening. Out of 5,110 test results reported Monday, 11.4% were positive.
The state reported a 73% hospital occupancy rate and a 63% occupancy rate in intensive care units.
Officials cautioned against drawing conclusions from a single day of data, but the 409 confirmed cases reflected a continued decrease in cases reported daily, which hovered from 800 to 1,000 throughout the second half of July.
After it became clear that Nevada was unlikely to progress through its original phased reopening approach, Sisolak unveiled a county-by-county system, hoping to provide clarity and local control regarding reopening and prevention measures.
Under the state’s new plan, counties deemed high risk submit mitigation plans to a task force for approval. Last week, the panel voted to keep bars closed in the Las Vegas and Reno areas.
The state released a new contact tracing mobile application on Monday designed to help Nevadans discover whether they’ve been exposed to someone who tested positive to COVID-19.
The app, called COVID Trace, tracks user locations to determine close contact with potentially exposed individuals. Health officials said it will help them determine the origin of the virus in the state, which will help prevent further spread.
Unlike other states that have released in-depth information about the high-risk locations or events, Nevada has declined up to this point to identify specific businesses where the virus may be spreading.
Proponents say the information could help people avoid high-risk areas, but Sisolak has said that before releasing information, Nevada officials had to take steps to guard privacy and prevent harm to businesses.
The governor demurred when asked about releasing the information and called it “an option that was available.”
“If we find a business that is particularly egregious and has a high propensity of cases, that’s certainly something that we could look at releasing,” he said.
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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.
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