Steady upward trend continues for Arizona coronavirus cases
Arizona reported more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for a third day in a row, and the state reported 13 new known deaths on Thursday as upward trends continued.
The past several weeks have seen relatively higher daily case reports as the virus spreads at its fastest rate in Arizona since June, although case numbers are still well below where they were at during the summer peak.
Arizona’s reproduction rate for the SARS-CoV-2 virus was at 1.16 on Thursday, the same as in early June, according to rt.live, a tracking website created by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger using data from the COVID Tracking Project.
The reproduction rate refers to the average number of people who become infected by an infectious person. If it’s above 1.0, COVID-19 will spread quickly. From late June to early September, Arizona’s reproduction rate was at or below 1.0, meaning infections slowed. Since then, it has gradually increased.
Identified COVID-19 cases in Arizona rose by 1,315 on Thursday to 242,480, and known deaths were at 5,918, according to the daily report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
The number of patients hospitalized statewide for known or suspected COVID-19 cases rose slightly on Wednesday to 874 from 871 on Tuesday. Wednesday’s total is the highest number reported since Aug. 26. At the peak of Arizona’s surge in July, the number of hospitalized patients suspected or confirmed to have the virus exceeded 3,000.
The number of patients with suspected or known COVID-19 in intensive care units across Arizona was at 186 on Wednesday, down slightly from Tuesday’s total of188. Friday’s191ICU beds in use was the highest level since Sept. 9. The level is far below what it was in July, when ICU beds in use for COVID-19 reached 970.
The number of Arizonans with confirmed and suspected COVID-19 on ventilators was at 95 on Wednesday. In midJuly, as many as 687 patients across the state with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Thursday’s dashboard shows 86% of inpatient beds and 86% of ICU beds in use, which includes people being treated for COVID-19 and other patients. COVID-19 patients were using 10% of all inpatient beds and 11% of ICU beds. Overall, 29% of ventilators were in use.
What you need to know about Thursday’s numbers
Reported cases in Arizona: 242,480. Cases increased by 1,315 or 0.54% from Wednesday’s 241,165 identified cases since the outbreak began.
Cases by county: 156,736 in Maricopa, 28,067 in Pima, 13,735 in Yuma, 11,937 in Pinal, 6,410 in Navajo, 5,243 in Coconino, 4,371 in Mohave, 3,965 in Apache, 3,021 in Santa Cruz, 2,961 in Yavapai, 2,171 in Cochise, 1,945 in Gila, 1,197 in Graham, 620 in La Paz and 101 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.
The Navajo Nation reported 11,462 cases and 575 confirmed deaths as of Wednesday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The Arizona Department of Corrections said 2,636 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday, including 995 in Tucson; 40,973 inmates statewide have been tested.
A total of 762 prison staff members have self-reported testing positive, the state corrections department said. Eighteen incarcerated people in Arizona have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, with 10 additional deaths under investigation.
While race/ethnicity is unknown for 30% of all COVID-19 cases statewide, 31% of cases are Hispanic or Latino, 26% are white, 6% are Native American, 3% are Black and 1% are Asian/Pacific Islander.
Reported deaths
County deaths: 3,566 in Maricopa, 638 in Pima, 354 in Yuma, 240 in Navajo, 231 in Mohave, 225 in Pinal, 169 in Apache, 149 in Coconino, 89 in Yavapai, 75 in Cochise, 70 in Gila, 65 in Santa Cruz, 28 in Graham, 17 in La Paz and fewer than three in Greenlee.