Nevada sets new record for highest single-day coronavirus cases

Nevada reported the highest number of new coronavirus in a single day Tuesday, breaking a record the state had set just a few days earlier. 

Nevada reported 462 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, The Reno Gazette Journal reported, bringing the state’s total number of confirmed cases to 13,997, according to the Nevada Health Alliance’s data. 

Nevada had previously had its worst day Saturday, reporting a total of 452 new cases, according to data compiled by The Hill. 

The spike in cases comes as Nevada has started lifting restrictions put in place to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. 

Several weeks ago, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) said the state was not ready to enter its third phase of reopening, noting the state’s seven-day average of positive cases had increased. 

The state entered phase two, which allowed some businesses to reopen with limited capacity, at the end of May. 

Nevada is not alone in its spike in cases. Roughly half the states in the U.S. have reported similar increases, mainly driven by outbreaks in the South and Southwest as Northeast states that were hit hard earlier in the pandemic have started to see declines. 

Sisolak noted the issues his state is facing during a conference call Monday with Vice President Pence, when the governor also criticized President Trump’s comments at his campaign rally that he encouraged administration officials to “slow” testing. 

“The president’s comments on Saturday night as related to his order to slow down the testing is certainly not helpful. We are doing everything we can in Nevada to increase our testing, to increase the availability of the testing and our cases have gone up, it’s not solely a result of more testing, it’s also a result of people not wearing masks and not following the social protocols,” Sisolak said, according to a transcript of his remarks.

“So if we could all get on the same page and get a commitment that there is not a federal mandate to slow down testing I think it would be extremely helpful,” he added.