Arizona COVID-19: Another 79 deaths, 1,795 more cases

Arizona reported another 79 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, with 1,795 new cases, a drop from Tuesday's 3,591 reported cases.

The state also reached a new high for hospitalizations Tuesday, according to the update provided by the Arizona Department of Health Services Wednesday morning.

The 79 deaths, while included in Wednesday's report, did not all occur in the past day. According to the health department, 53 of those deaths were from "death certificate matching" for deaths that occurred previously and the department is just identifying as COVID-related. Arizona's death total now is 1,463.

Inpatient beds and ventilators in use for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients both hit their highest-ever numbers Tuesday, according to the report. Emergency department visits and ICU beds in use hovered around their highest levels as well.

The biggest jump came in inpatient beds, with 2,270 beds occupied by suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients Tuesday, compared with 2,136 Monday.

As of Tuesday, 86% of current inpatient beds and 88% 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 six days, more than 2,000 new cases have been reported on six of the past seven days, and more than 1,000 new cases have been reported on each of the past 15 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 170% and tests increased by just 84%.

Here's what you need to know about Wednesday's new numbers.

Reported Arizona cases: 59,974

Cases increased by 1,795, or 3.1%, from Tuesday's 58,179 identified cases since the outbreak began.

34,992 in Maricopa, 6,318 in Pima, 4,915 in Yuma, 3,248 in Navajo, 2,778 in Pinal, 2,194 in Apache, 1,611 in Coconino, 1,538 in Santa Cruz, 841 in Mohave, 521 in Yavapai, 441 in Cochise, 289 in La Paz, 201 in Gila, 71 in Graham and 16 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.

The Navajo Nation reported 7,088 cases and 336 confirmed deaths as of Tuesday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The Arizona Department of Corrections said 349 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday; 3,024 inmates have been tested out of a population of 40,344.

While race/ethnicity is unknown for 42% of cases, 26% of cases are Hispanic or Latino, 16% of cases are white, 9% are Native American and 2% are Black.

Reported deaths: 1,463

Deaths increased by 79 from Tuesday's 1,384 known deaths.

690 in Maricopa, 255 in Pima, 114 in Navajo, 91 in Coconino, 78 in Mohave, 73 in Apache, 68 in Yuma, 55 in Pinal, 14 in Santa Cruz, seven in Yavapai, six in Cochise, five in Gila, four in La Paz and fewer than three in Graham and Greenlee.

People aged 65 and older made up 1,096 of the 1,384 deaths, or 75%.

While race/ethnicity is unknown for 10% of deaths, 45% of those who died were white, 21% were Hispanic or Latino, 18% were Native American and 3% were Black.

Hospitalizations still increasing

Inpatients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 tallied 2,270 statewide as of Tuesday, the highest number so far and the second day exceeding 2,000. Hospitalizations have eclipsed 1,000 daily for over the past three weeks, the highest they’ve been since the state began reporting the data April 8.

Ventilator use for suspected and confirmed positive COVID-19 patients was at its highest on Tuesday, with 407 patients on ventilators, surpassing the previous record of 386 on ventilators Monday. Overall, 56% of ventilators remained available Tuesday.

ICU bed use for suspected and confirmed positive COVID-19 patients was at 581 on Tuesday, falling from the previous high of 614 on Monday. Tuesday was the ninth consecutive day it has passed 500.