State data: Arizona nears 10,000 known deaths due to COVID-19.
Arizona is approaching 10,000 known deaths due to COVID-19 as case counts and hospitalizations continue to rise, with more than 11,600 new cases reported Friday.
The 197 new known deaths reported by the state on Friday brought the known death count from COVID-19 to 9,938.
The state’s seven-day new-case average ranks second-highest nationwide after ranking first for three days in a row, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Data Tracker as of Thursday.
Arizona’s rate of new positive cases over the last seven days was 122.1 cases per 100,000 people, trailing only New Jersey with 136.7 new cases per 100,000 people over the last seven days, per the CDC. The U.S. average for new cases is 68.7 cases per 100,000 people.
The state data dashboard shows 93% of all ICU beds and 93% of all inpatient beds in Arizona were in use Thursday, with 63% of ICU beds and 57% of nonICU beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. Statewide, there were 131 ICU beds and 619 non-ICU beds available.
The number of patients hospitalized in Arizona for known or suspected COVID-19 cases was at 4,907 on Thursday, slightly below the record-high of 4,920 on Wednesday. By comparison, the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in a single day during the summer surge was 3,517 on July 13.
The number of patients with suspected or known COVID-19 in ICUs across Arizona was at 1,122 on Thursday, above the previous record of 1,101 on Wednesday. During the summer surge in mid-July, ICU beds in use for COVID-19 peaked at 970.
Arizonans with confirmed and suspected COVID-19 on ventilators tallied 799 on Thursday, passing the previous record high of 782 ventilators in use on Sunday. During the summer surge, July 16 was the peak day for ventilator use with 687 patients.
Thursday saw 2,188 emergency room visits for COVID-19, below the Dec. 29 single-day record of 2,341 positive or suspected COVID-19 patients seen in emergency departments across the state.
New cases in Arizona have eclipsed 5,000 for 25 of the past 30 days. Public health experts expect the virus to spread further because of personal contact over the holidays.
Friday’s 11,658 new cases brought the total number of identified COVID-19 cases in the state to 596,251. As of Friday, 9,938 Arizonans are known to have died from the disease, according to the data dashboard from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Friday’s numbers
Reported cases in Arizona: 596,251. Cases since the outbreak began increased by 11,658, or 1.99%, from Thursday’s 584,593 identified cases. These daily cases are grouped by the date they are reported to the Arizona Department of Health Services, not by the date the tests were administered.
Cases by county: 367,856 in Maricopa, 79,190 in Pima, 32,178 in Pinal, 30,368 in Yuma, 14,699 in Mohave, 13,020 in Yavapai, 12,368 in Coconino, 12,242 in in Navajo, 8,533 in Cochise, 8,119 in Apache, 6,507 in Santa Cruz, 4,964 in Gila, 3,966 in Graham, 1,788 in La Paz and 451 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.
The Navajo Nation reported 24,521 cases and 844 confirmed deaths in total as of Thursday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Tribal leaders have implemented a stay-at-home lockdown and reinstated weekend curfews due to what officials have called the “uncontrolled spread” of COVID-19 in the tribe’s communities.
The Arizona Department of Corrections reported 7,815 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Thursday, including 1,573 in Tucson, 1,526 in Yuma, 1,272 in Eyman and 911 in Douglas; 43,023 inmates statewide have been tested. A total of 2,007 prison staff members have self-reported testing positive, the department said. Twentysix incarcerated people in Arizona have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, with 14 additional deaths under investigation.
Deaths by county: 5,695 in Maricopa, 1,216 in Pima, 574 in Yuma, 414 in Pinal, 384 in Mohave, 372 in Navajo, 265 in Yavapai, 259 in Apache, 231 in Coconino, 163 in Cochise, 152 in Gila, 115 in Santa Cruz, 55 in Graham, 39 in La Paz and four in Greenlee.