AZ surpasses 600K coronavirus cases
Arizona surpassed 10,000 known deaths and 600,000 cases of COVID-19 as the state once again is worst in the nation for new cases.
The nearly 100 new known deaths reported by the state on Saturday brought the known death count from COVID-19 to 10,036.
The state’s seven-day new-case average is back to the highest nationwide after being ranked second on Friday. Prior to that, Arizona ranked first for three days in a row, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Data Tracker.
Arizona’s rate of new positive cases over the last seven days was 126.4 cases per 100,000 people, per the CDC. The U.S. average for new cases is 68.7 cases per 100,000 people.
The state reported more than 17,200 new cases on Sunday, the highest number of new COVID-19 cases reported in a single day since the pandemic began, toppling the state’s previous record from Dec. 8 by nearly 5,000 cases. The record follows the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weekends.
The state data dashboard shows 92% of all ICU beds and 93% of all inpatient beds in Arizona were in use Thursday, with 54% of ICU beds and 57% of nonICU beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. Statewide, there were 138 ICU beds and 633 non-ICU beds available.
The number of patients hospitalized in Arizona for known or suspected COVID-19 cases was at 4,918 on Friday, 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 at1,121on Friday, one below Thursday’s record-high 1,122. 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 791 on Friday, down from Thursday’s record-high 799. During the summer surge, July 16 was the peak day for ventilator use with 687 patients.
Saturday’s 11,094 new cases brought the total number of identified COVID-19 cases in the state to 607,345. There were 98 additional deaths reported Saturday, bringing the known total of Arizonans who have died from the disease to 10,036, according to the data dashboard from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Saturday’s numbers
Reported cases in Arizona: 607,345. Cases since the outbreak began increased by 11,094, or 1.86%, from Friday’s 596,251 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: 374,740 in Maricopa, 80,642 in Pima, 32,960 in Pinal, 30,847 in Yuma, 15,027 in Mohave, 13,293 in Yavapai, 12,610 in Coconino, 12,370 in in Navajo, 8,737 in Cochise, 8,201 in Apache, 6,620 in Santa Cruz, 5,006 in Gila, 4,012 in Graham, 1,821 in La Paz and 459 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.
The Navajo Nation reported 24,776 cases and 866 confirmed deaths in total as of Friday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Tribal leaders have implemented a stayat-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 7,823 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday, including 1,571 in Tucson, 1,530 in Yuma, 1,272 in Eyman and 911 in Douglas; 43,055 inmates statewide have been tested.
A total of 2,007 prison staff members have self-reported testing positive, the department said.
Twenty-six incarcerated people in Arizona have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, with 15 additional deaths under investigation. Reported deaths in Arizona: 10,036 Deaths by county: 5,767 in Maricopa, 1,219 in Pima, 573 in Yuma, 417 in Pinal, 389 in Mohave, 372 in Navajo, 275 in Yavapai, 259 in Apache, 233 in Coconino, 164 in Cochise, 154 in Gila, 116 in Santa Cruz, 55 in Graham, 39 in La Paz and four in Greenlee.