A cheerleader from the Vegas Golden Knights NHL hockey team cheer as a car drives up to pick up a purchase from their merchandise store at the team's practice facility Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Las Vegas. The store had been closed due to the coronavirus but opened up for curbside service Tuesday.
LAS VEGAS — Nearly 31,000 more Nevada residents filed new claims for jobless benefits last week, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday, pushing to close to 419,000 the number of people seeking unemployment since casinos and other businesses closed in mid-March to prevent spread of the coronavirus.
New numbers reported Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor show the number of new filings slowing in recent weeks after peaking during the week of March 21.
The number of jobless workers filing for benefits equates to almost 30% of the 1.4 million workers who had jobs in Nevada in February, when the Nevada unemployment figure was a record-low 3.6%.
The official state unemployment rate last week was 19.9%, the highest in state history.
State health officials have counted at least 286 deaths statewide from the COVID-19 respiratory illness, with more than 5,600 people testing positive for the virus.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
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