Arizona exceeds 16,000 known COVID-19 deaths

Arizona passed 16,000 known COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday as the state reported a relatively low 849 new cases and moderating hospital metrics.

The state’s overall COVID-19 death and case rates since since Jan. 21, 2020, are among the worst in the country.

The COVID-19 death rate in Arizona since the pandemic began was 219 deaths per 100,000 people as of Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Data Tracker, putting it sixth in the country in a state ranking that separates New York City from New York state. The U.S. average was 154 deaths per 100,000 people as of Monday, the CDC said.

New York City had the highest death rate, at 350 deaths per 100,000 people. After that followed New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Mississippi.

The state’s case rate since the pandemic began also ranked sixth nationwide as of Monday.

Arizona’s seven-day new-case average ranked 27th Monday among all states, after ranking first and second for much of January, according to the CDC.

Arizona’s newly reported 81 deaths brought the known COVID-19 death count to 16,060.

In slightly more than one year since the first case was announced in Arizona, a total of 818,670 COVID-19 cases have been identified across the state. February saw relatively lower case reports.

The Arizona data dashboard shows 85% of all ICU beds and 86% of all inpatient beds in the state were in use Monday, with 22% of ICU beds and 14% of non-ICU beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. Statewide, 253 ICU beds and 1,215 non-ICU beds were available.

The total number of patients hospitalized in Arizona for known or suspected COVID-19 cases was at 1,202 on Monday, down from Sunday’s 1,241 inpatients and far below the record 5,082 inpatients on Jan. 11.

The number of patients with suspected or known COVID-19 in ICUs across Arizona was at 385 on Monday, similar to 382 on Sunday, far below the record high of 1,183 on Jan. 11.

Arizonans with confirmed and suspected COVID-19 on ventilators tallied 203 on Monday, up slightly from 196 on Sunday and well below the record high 821 reached on Jan. 13.

Monday saw 970 patients in the emergency room for COVID-19, well below the Dec. 29 single-day record of 2,341 positive or suspected COVID-19 patients seen in emergency departments across the state.

Tuesday’s numbers

Reported cases in Arizona: 818,670. Cases since the outbreak began increased by 849, or 0.10%, from Monday’s 817,821 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: 511,636 in Maricopa, 109,684 in Pima, 46,322 in Pinal, 36,458 in Yuma, 21,242 in Mohave, 17,069 in Yavapai, 16,599 in Coconino, 15,657 in Navajo, 11,232 in Cochise, 10,469 in Apache, 7,633 in Santa Cruz, 6,410 in Gila, 5,297 in Graham, 2,401 in La Paz and 560 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.

The Navajo Nation reported 29,754 cases and 1,170 confirmed deaths in total as of Monday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The Arizona Department of Corrections reported 12,010 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Monday, including 2,239 in Tucson, 2,008 in Yuma, 2,002 in Eyman, 1,302 in Lewis and 1,163 in Douglas; 43,612 inmates statewide have been tested.

A total of 2,685 prison staff members have self-reported testing positive, the department said.

Thirty-five incarcerated people in Arizona have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, with 18 additional deaths under investigation.

Deaths by county: 9,152 in Maricopa, 2,227 in Pima, 793 in Yuma, 776 in Pinal, 646 in Mohave, 497 in Navajo, 462 in Yavapai, 389 in Apache, 313 in Coconino, 265 in Cochise, 214 in Gila, 169 in Santa Cruz, 75 in Graham, 72 in La Paz and 10 in Greenlee.

The global death toll as of Tuesday morning was 2,541,319, and the U.S. had the highest death count of any country in the world, at 514,662, according to Johns Hopkins University. Arizona’s death total of 16,060 deaths represents 3.1% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. as of Tuesday.