Ariz. reports 374 new cases of COVID-19

Deaths reach 5,030 as most metrics improve

Arizona reported more than 300 new COVID-19 cases and 23 new known deaths on Sunday as most metrics like hospital data continue to improve.

Hospitalization metrics like patient counts and ventilators in use for COVID-19 patients have been on general downward trends over the past six weeks, with several metrics back down to levels from April and May, according to hospital data reported to the state.

Identified cases rose to 201,661 and known deaths totaled 5,030, according to the daily report by the Arizona Department of Health Services. The 23 new known deaths reported on Sunday represent the new deaths identified by the Arizona Department of Health Services that day, but many occurred days and weeks prior.

While metrics from daily case counts to infection and hospitalization rates are moving in the right direction, Gov. Doug Ducey recently told Arizonans it’s too soon to let their guard down and take a “victory lap.”

“Returning our kids to the classroom, reuniting with our loved ones — all of these depend on continued responsible behavior,” Ducey said last week.

Sunday’s dashboard shows 82% of inpatient beds and 79% of ICU beds in use, which includes people being treated for COVID-19 and other patients. COVID-19 patients are using 10% of all inpatient beds and 16% of ICU beds. Overall, 30% of ventilators were in use.

Most people who get the disease are not hospitalized. The state does not report the number of recovered cases, although it does report hospital discharges.

For much of the pandemic, testing did not keep up with the virus’ spread, but the state worked to expand testing and reduce results turnaround time, which had been up to two weeks or longer for some tests, even through July. Sonora Quest, the state’s largest test processor, reports it has cleared its backlog of tests and is returning most results within two days.

The number of weekly tests conducted dropped significantly in July and into August.

Of known test results from last week and so far this week, 5% have come back positive, according to the state, which has a unique way of calculating percent positivity. Johns Hopkins University calculates Arizona’s seven-day moving average of percent positives at 7% and shows it is trending downward. A positivity rate of 5% is considered a good benchmark that the spread is under control.

Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s new numbers:

Cases increased by 374, or 0.18%, from Saturday’s 201,287 identified cases since the outbreak began.

County cases: 133,641 in Maricopa, 21,189 in Pima, 12,230 in Yuma, 9,524 in Pinal, 5,598 in Navajo, 3,606 in Mohave, 3,338 in Apache, 3,318 in Coconino, 2,723 in Santa Cruz, 2,303 in Yavapai, 1,815 in Cochise, 1,106 in Gila, 714 in Graham, 498 in La Paz and 58 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.

The rate of cases per 100,000 people is highest in Yuma County, followed by Santa Cruz County, Navajo and Apache counties.

The Navajo Nation reported 9,789 cases and 501 confirmed deaths as of Saturday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The Arizona Department of Corrections said1,997 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday, including 883 in Tucson; 32,919 inmates have been tested out of a population of about 39,100. Eleven incarcerated people have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, with 16 additional deaths under investigation.

While race/ethnicity is unknown for 34% of cases across Arizona, 30% of cases are Hispanic or Latino, 23% of cases are white, 6% are Native American, 3% are Black and 1% are Asian/Pacific Islander.