Arizona reports 2,742 new COVID-19 cases
Arizona reported 2,742 new COVID-19 cases and 147 more known deaths on Saturday as measures of hospital stress remained high but showed signs of moderation.
There were no new records set for ventilators in use, inpatient hospitalizations, ICU beds in use or emergency department visits by suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients, according to Friday’s hospital data reported to the state.
Case numbers were affected by a lab partner missing a reporting cutoff and by a recordkeeping update on deaths, the Arizona Department of Health Services said.
Identified cases rose to 141,265 and known deaths total 2,730, according to the daily report by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Saturday’s dashboard shows 86% of current inpatient beds and 89% of ICU beds were in use, which includes people being treated for COVID-19 and other patients.
Overall, 51% of ventilators were in use.
The 147 additional known deaths reported on Saturday represent the new deaths identified by the Health Department that day, meaning they did not necessarily occur on Thursday. The department tweeted Saturday morning that 106 of the new reported deaths were because of death certificate matching.
Because the laboratory missed the reporting cutoff, its data will be reflected in tomorrow’s report, the department said.
Testing so far has not kept up with the virus’s spread, although the state recently announced efforts to expand testing.
During the past three weeks, cases increased by 108% and tests increased by 59%.
Of known test results from last week, 17% have come back positive. A high number of positive tests means there is not enough broad testing and the virus is widespread.
Public health experts have begun to notice signs Arizona’s COVID-19 outbreak may be moderating, but more time is needed to know for sure.
Gov. Doug Ducey pointed out early signs of flattening at a Thursday news briefing and urged Arizonans to continue to stay home, avoid gatherings and practice physical distancing.
Most people who get the disease are not hospitalized. The state does not report the number of recovered cases, although it does report hospital discharges.
Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s new numbers.
Reported cases in Arizona: 141,265
Cases increased by 2,742, or 2%, from Friday’s 138,523 identified cases since the outbreak began.
County cases: 93,870 in Maricopa, 13,270 in Pima, 9,086 in Yuma, 6,536 in Pinal, 4,768 in Navajo, 2,735 in Apache, 2,647 in Coconino, 2,270 in Santa Cruz, 2,229 in Mohave, 1,335 in Yavapai, 1,217 in Cochise, 551 in Gila, 434 in La Paz, 278 in Graham and 39 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.
The rate of cases per 100,000 people is highest in Santa Cruz County, followed by Navajo, Yuma and Apache counties.
The Navajo Nation reported 8,536 cases and 412 confirmed deaths as of Friday. The Navajo Reservation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The Arizona Department of Corrections said 591 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday; 4,578 inmates have been tested out of a population of about 39,600. Five incarcerated people have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, with eight additional deaths under investigation.
While race/ethnicity is unknown for 50% of cases, 23% of cases are Hispanic or Latino, 16% of cases are white,
iiiiii6% are Native American and 2% are Black.
Laboratories have completed 771,991 diagnostic tests for COVID-19, 14.5% of which have come back positive. The percent of positive tests has increased in the past month. It was 17% for tests that have come back so far from last week, and 21% from the week prior.
iReported deaths in Arizona: 2,730
On Saturday, 147 new deaths were reported, although many likely occurred on previous days or weeks.
County deaths: 1,444 in Maricopa, 384 in Pima, 180 in Yuma, 155 in Navajo, 110 in Apache, 115 in Mohave, 106 in Coconino, 104 in Pinal, 37 in Santa Cruz, 29 in Cochise, 26 in Yavapai, 16 in Gila, seven in La Paz, four in Graham and fewer than three in Greenlee.
People aged 65 and older made up 1,992 of the 2,730 deaths, or 73%.
While race/ethnicity is unknown for 16% of deaths, 39% of those who died were white, 26% were Hispanic or Latino, 14% were Native American and 3% were Black.
iiiiHospitalizations remain high
Inpatients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 tallied 3,238 on Friday, a increase from Thursday’s 3,466 inpatients. Hospitalizations have eclipsed 1,000 daily since June 1 and have surpassed 3,000 for the past two weeks.
ICU bed use for suspected and confirmed positive COVID-19 patients decreased to 894 from the previous day’s
ii944. The record for ICU bed use was set on Monday with 970. The number has been above 500 daily since June 15, with a relatively steady increase in the weeks since until this week.
Ventilator use for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients was at 657 on Friday, down from Thursday’s record of 687. Earlier this week, numbers hovered around 670 ventilators in use.
Emergency department visits for patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 was at 1,504 on Friday, falling from Thursday’s 1,574 and Wednesday’s 1,695 visits. Before Tuesday, ER visits saw six days of decline after June 7’s record 2,008 ER visits. Daily ER visits surpassed 1,000 on June 16 and have been above that level every day but two since. During April and May, emergency department daily visits for COVID-19 were typically in the 400s and 500s, rising into the 600s in the last few days of May.
The number of patients with suspected and confirmed positive COVID-19 discharged from hospitals was at 477 patients on Friday, continuing relatively high discharge numbers over the past two weeks.
iiiKey figures to watch
Case counts may be moderating. Over the past week, the daily number of new cases reported by the state health department has started to flatten, one of the first potentially promising signs in Arizona’s COVID-19 battle. But public health experts say Arizona is still adding far too many new cases. Arizona has the third-highest case rate per 100,000 residents in the country, trailing only New York City and New Jersey, per CDC data.
The percentage of positive tests is high. The percentage of positive tests out of all tests per week was at 21% two weeks ago, up from 20% three weeks ago, 18% four weeks ago and 14% five weeks ago. It’s at 17% so far for tests that have come in last week, and 18% so far for this week, but many test results are still outstanding. When the state decided to reopen on May 16, that number had been trending down to as low as 5%.
Almost 23% of COVID-19 tests in Arizona are coming back positive, the highest percentage in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University. This is based on seven-day rolling averages.