Arizona reports 3,591 new COVID-19 cases, another record high

Arizona reported 3,591 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, another record high number in the state’s daily report, while daily hospitalizations exceeded 2,000 for the first time ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the state.

Another 42 deaths also were reported Tuesday, according to the update provided by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Inpatient beds, ICU beds and ventilators in use for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients all hit their highestever numbers Monday, according to the report. Emergency department visits tied the previous high from Sunday, with more than 1,200.

The highest jump came in inpatient beds, with 2,136 beds occupied by suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients Monday, compared with 1,992 Sunday.

As of Monday, 83% of current inpatient beds and 84% of ICU beds were in use for COVID-19 and other patients.

More than 3,000 new cases have been reported on three of the past five days, more than 2,000 new cases have been reported on each of the past six days, and more than 1,000 new cases have been reported on each of the past 14 days, according to state data.

While increased testing over the past month has contributed to an increase in numbers, it is only one factor contributing to a higher case count. The percentage of those tests coming back positive has spiked sharply since mid-May, indicating a significant increase in community spread.

During the past three weeks, cases increased by 174% and tests increased by just 85%.

Case spikes prompted Gov. Doug Ducey last week to allow Arizona cities and counties to enforce their own mask mandates, although he stopped short of issuing a statewide requirement despite growing pressure from the medical community.

Here’s what you need to know about Tuesday’s new numbers.

Reported cases in Arizona: 58,179

• Cases increased by 3,591, or 6.6%, from Monday’s 54,586 identified cases since the outbreak began.

• 33,883 in Maricopa, 6,089 in Pima, 4,739 in Yuma, 3,166 in Navajo, 2,704 in Pinal, 2,165 in Apache, 1,595 in Coconino, 1,521 in Santa Cruz, 813 in Mohave, 510 in Yavapai, 432 in Cochise, 286 in La Paz, 192 in Gila, 66 in Graham and 16 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.

• The Navajo Nation reported 7,037 cases and 335 confirmed deaths as of Sunday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

• The Arizona Department of Corrections said 323 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Monday; 3,005 inmates have been tested out of a population of 40,423.

• While race/ethnicity is unknown for 44% of cases, 25% of cases are Hispanic or Latino, 16% of cases are white, 10% are Native American and 2% are Black.

• Laboratories have completed 440,138 diagnostic tests for COVID-19, 10.5% of which have come back positive.

Known deaths: 1,384

• Deaths increased by 42 from Monday’s 1,342 known deaths.

• 663 in Maricopa, 247 in Pima, 97 in Navajo, 90 in Coconino, 75 in Mohave, 67 in Apache, 57 in Yuma, 51 in Pinal, 13 in Santa Cruz, seven in Yavapai, six in Cochise, five in Gila, three in La Paz and fewer than three in Graham and Greenlee.

• People aged 65 and older made up 1,044 of the 1,384 deaths, or 75%.

• While race/ethnicity is unknown for 10% of deaths, 46% of those who died were white, 20% were Hispanic or Latino, 18% were Native American and 3% were Black.