Record number of 1,654 new COVID-19 cases reported Friday
The day after Gov. Doug Ducey downplayed Arizona’s recent spikes in daily COVID-19 cases and ongoing increases in hospitalizations and deaths, the state’s numbers continued to climb on Friday, with a record high for new cases reported and a record high for inpatient hospitalizations.
Friday saw 1,654 new cases, the most new cases reported in one day.
Inpatient hospitalizations for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 hit its highest number on Thursday, with 1,336 hospitalizations, up from the previous high of 1,291 hospitalizations on Wednesday. Emergency department visits for patients with suspected or confirmed positive COVID-19 also reached its highest level on Thursday with 915 patients, far surpassing the next highest of 848 patients on both Monday and Wednesday.
Ducey focused his news briefing on Thursday on hospital capacity — saying that although positive COVID-19 cases have been increasing, Arizona’s hospitals are fully prepared to handle more patients.
Arizona’s sharp increases over the past two weeks, particularly the spikes in positive cases, have raised questions and alarm locally and nationally about whether the state has done enough to slow the spread and what other precautions may be necessary.
During the past two weeks, the state has reported higher daily increases in cases, deaths and hospitalization rates than any time previously. Ducey’s stayat-home order expired nearly a month ago.
Some experts warn that Arizona is experiencing a spike in community spread, pointing to increases in the number of positive cases, the percent of positive tests out of total tests, and hospitalizations. But Ducey said concerns about hospitals was “misinformation” and that Arizona hospitals are doing fine.
The health department’s data page had technical difficulties and did not load for most of Friday.
Here’s what you need to know about Friday’s new numbers.
Reported cases: 32,918 known cases
Cases increased by 1,654, or 5.3%, from Thursday’s 31,264 identified cases. This is a record high for daily reported cases.
17,010 in Maricopa, 3,628 in Pima, 2,841 in Yuma, 2,512 in Navajo, 1,927 in Apache, 1,363 in Pinal, 1,345 in Coconino, 833 in Santa Cruz, 584 in Mohave, 367 in Yavapai, 217 in La Paz, 178 in Cochise, 54 in Gila, 48 in Graham and 11 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.
The Navajo Nation reported 6,378 cases and 298 confirmed deaths as of Thursday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The Arizona Department of Corrections said 249 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19. 2,042 inmates have been tested out of a population of 40,689.
Laboratories have completed a total of 320,816 diagnostic tests for COVID-19, 8.1% of which have come back positive.
Reported deaths: 1,144 known deaths
Deaths increased by 17 from Thursday’s 1,127 known deaths.
536 in Maricopa, 222 in Pima, 86 in Coconino, 79 in Navajo, 64 in Mohave, 53 in Apache, 43 in Pinal, 33 in Yuma, nine in Santa Cruz, seven in Yavapai, four in Cochise, three in Gila and fewer than three in La Paz, Graham and Greenlee.
People aged 65 and older made up 872 of the 1,144 deaths, or 76%.
While race/ethnicity is unknown for 12% of deaths, 46% of deaths were white, 18% were Native American, 18% were Hispanic or Latino and 3% were Black.
Hospitalizations still increasing
Inpatients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 hit a record high 1,336 as of Thursday. This was the 11th consecutive day that hospitalizations statewide have eclipsed 1,000, the highest they’ve been since the state began reporting the data on April 8.
Ventilator use for suspected and confirmed positive COVID-19 patients also hit its highest number on Thursday: 303 patients on ventilators, continuing a trend of high ventilator numbers for the past two and a half weeks — especially high this week.
ICU bed use for suspected and confirmed positive COVID-19 patients hit 429 Thursday, tying Wednesday and trailing only Monday’s 438. Thursday was the 17th consecutive day that the number has been higher than 370 and the fourth consecutive day it’s passed 400.
Emergency department visits for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 hit its highest on Thursday with 915 patients, far surpassing the next highest of 848 on Monday and Wednesday. Numbers surpassed 800 on Friday and have been above every day since. Since April 8, emergency department daily visits for COVID-19 were typically in the 400s and 500s.
Patients with suspected or confirmed positive COVID-19 discharged from hospitals has hovered between around 95 and 130 individuals discharged each day for the past two weeks. The highest day for COVID-19 patient discharge was April 17 with 242 patients discharged.