Arizona reports drop in COVID-19 hospitalizations
Arizona reported 3,500 new COVID-19 cases and 134 more known deaths on Tuesday as hospital capacity numbers continued slight declines.
Inpatient hospitalizations, ICU beds in use, ventilators in use and emergency department visits by suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients all continued slight decreases from days prior, according to Monday's hospital data reported to the state.
Identified cases rose to 148,683 and known deaths total 2,918, according to the daily report by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
The 134 additional known deaths reported on Tuesday represent the new deaths identified by the Health Department that day, but many occurred days and weeks prior. Seventy-seven of the 134 new deaths are from death certificate matching, according to the department.
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 news briefing last week but urged Arizonans to continue to stay home, avoid gatherings and practice physical distancing.
Tuesday's dashboard shows 83% of current inpatient beds and 85% of ICU beds were in use, which includes people being treated for COVID-19 and other patients. Overall, 49% of ventilators were in use.
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.
Testing so far has not kept up with the virus' spread, although the state recently announced efforts to expand testing. During the past three weeks, cases increased by 88% and tests increased by 52%. Of known test results from last week, 16% have come back positive. A high percentage of positive tests means there is not enough broad testing and the virus is widespread.
Turnaround on test results is still slow. Sonora Quest Laboratories, which processes the majority of the state's tests, is reporting results in nine to 12 days. Priority samples from hospitals are processed within 24 hours, according to a spokeswoman.
Key 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, with an average of around 3,500 new cases each day. Arizona has the second-highest case rate per 100,000 residents in the country, trailing only New York City, per CDC data.
The percentage of positive tests is high. The percentage of positive tests out of all tests per week may be plateauing or decreasing, but it remains high. Percent positives were at 18% two weeks ago, compared with 21% three weeks ago, 20% four weeks ago and 18% five weeks ago. It's at 16% so far for tests that have come in last week, and 12% 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%.
Heath care workers remain under stress. Banner Health, Arizona's largest health system, is adding nearly 1,000 out-of-state nurses and respiratory therapists to its workforce to help with the COVID-19 pandemic. Some traveling nurses now treating COVID-19 patients in the Phoenix area continue to work long hours with little chance to reflect on what they’ve endured. Here's what those nurses are seeing, feeling in Arizona.
Free testing is available. Visit www.azdhs.gov for available sites and how to register. The federal surge sites in Maryvale and south Phoenix are among them. To test there, individuals should pre-register for an appointment at azhealth.gov/SurgeTesting. Tests are done by a self-swab rather than the nasal swab tests performed by a health care provider.