State reports 3,221 new COVID-19 cases

Arizona reported more than 3,200 new COVID-19 cases and 10 new known deaths on Sunday as hospital trends continued to worsen.

The ongoing increase in cases and hospitalizations comes as Arizona’s health system tries to handle the pressures of a new COVID-19 wave.

Identified COVID-19 cases in Arizona rose by 3,221 on Sunday to 325,995, and 10 new known deaths were reported, bringing the total number of known deaths to 6,634, according to the daily report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

New cases have eclipsed 1,000 for 27 of the past 30 days, with 20 of those days seeing more than 2,000 new cases for the first time since the state’s summer surge.

The number of patients hospitalized statewide for known or suspected COVID-19 cases was at 2,458 on Saturday, the highest number reported since July 28. 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 573 on Saturday, which was the most ICU beds in use in a single day since Aug. 5. The level is 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 356 on Saturday, which was the most ventilators in use in a single day since Aug. 9. In mid-July, as many as 687 patients across the state with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 were on ventilators.

Sunday’s dashboard shows 85% of inpatient beds and 89.2% of ICU beds in use, which includes people being treated for COVID-19 and other patients. COVID-19 patients were using 28% of all inpatient beds and 33% of ICU beds. Overall, 41% of ventilators were in use.

Percent positivity, which refers to the percent of COVID-19 diagnostic tests that are positive, has gone up, which many health experts consider an early indicator of a spike in illnesses.

Of known diagnostic test results from last week, the percent positivity was 13%, up from 12% the week prior, according to the state, which has a unique way of calculating percent positivity. Percent positivity was at 4% for several weeks during August, September and October, according to state data.

Johns Hopkins University calculates Arizona’s seven-day moving average of percent positives at 20.4% as of Sunday. It shows the state’s percent positivity is trending upward.

A positivity rate of 5% is considered a good benchmark that the spread of the disease is under control.

Cases increased by 3,221, or 0.99%, from Saturday’s 322,774 identified cases since the outbreak began.

Cases by county: 205,332 in Maricopa, 39,813 in Pima, 17,871 in Yuma, 16,643 in Pinal, 8,118 in Navajo, 7,474 in Coconino, 6,197 in Mohave, 5,391 in Apache, 5,329 in Yavapai, 3,933 in Santa Cruz, 3,639 in Cochise, 2,970 in Gila, 2,194 in Graham, 867 in La Paz and 224 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.

The rate of cases per 100,000 people is highest in Yuma County, followed by Apache, Santa Cruz and Navajo counties. The rate in Yuma County is 7,771 cases per 100,000 people. By comparison, the U.S. average rate as of Saturday was 3,973 cases per 100,000 people, according to the CDC.

The Navajo Nation reported 16,223 cases and 648 confirmed deaths as of Saturday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Tribal leaders reinstated a threeweek stay-at-home lockdown starting Nov. 16 due to what officials have called the “uncontrolled spread” of COVID-19 in the tribe’s communities.

Arizona as of Saturday had the 24th highest overall rate of infection in the country. Ahead of Arizona in cases per 100,000 people since the pandemic began are North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Illinois, Wyoming, Tennessee, Minnesota, Kansas, Rhode Island, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Indiana, Nevada, Missouri, Oklahoma and Florida, according to the CDC.

Arizona’s infection rate is 4,443 cases per100,000 people, the CDC said. The national average is 3,973 cases per 100,000 people, though the rates in states hard hit early on in the pandemic may be an undercount because of a lack of available testing in March and April.