LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For more than two months, Nevada has seen concerning COVID-19 trends. Both the test positivity rate and daily COVID-19 cases have been increasing. But lately, those trends have turned around.
Ever since the discovery of the Delta variant in Nevada in mid-June, the state's daily case count has been on the rise.
On June 14, the state saw 150 new COVID-19 cases. By July 29, the state was seeing more than 1,000 new cases per day.
The numbers remained that high until August 31 when the daily case count dropped to 989. On Tuesday, Nevada's Department of Health and Human Services says the state saw 812 new cases. That's a 27% decrease in cases since August 23.
Nevada has seen a similar story with the test positivity rate. On Aug. 14, it hit a recent peak of 16.4%. Since then, the state's test positivity rate has dropped dramatically to 12.2%
The big question is why, especially when the test positivity rate and COVID cases are increasing across the country.
The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services offered a few ideas as to why we're seeing a decrease locally, lately.
"We were the first state to implement the masking based on the transmission rate within the counties," said Candice McDaniel, the deputy director of programs for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.
"Our largest school district, in Clark County, requiring masks for the staff and students at the beginning of the school year," added McDaniel. "And then on top of that, I would say we've always been supporting our immunization efforts, some really strong collaborative work, especially in Clark County, but also up in the north."
Nevada's DHHS believes the combination of these factors is helping to lower the spread of COVID-19.
McDaniel also says more people are getting tested lately, which could help lower the test positivity rate.
