Arizona data: State reports 438 new COVID-19 cases and 27 new known deaths.
Arizona reported 438 new COVID-19 cases and 27 new known deaths Wednesday, and the number of patients hospitalized with suspected and confirmed new coronavirus infections increased for the second day in a row.
Identified cases rose to 215,284 and known deaths are at 5,525, according to the daily report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
The number of patients hospitalized statewide for known or suspected COVID-19 rose to 583 on Tuesday from 527 on Monday, which is a 10.6% increase. That number is far below where it was during June and July when COVID-19 hospitalizations in Arizona spiked. During the peak of that surge, the number of hospitalized patients suspected or confirmed to have the virus exceeded 3,000.
The number of patients with suspected or known COVID-19 in intensive care units across Arizona dropped to 114 Tuesday, down from 122 on Monday — a 7% decline. Those numbers also are far below what they were in July when the numbers reached as high as 970.
Also, the number of Arizonans with confirmed and suspected COVID-19 on ventilators rose Tuesday to 62, up from 47 on Monday.
Arizona’s COVID-19 death total is the 11th highest of any state in the country, Johns Hopkins University said Wednesday. New York has had the highest death toll — 33,090.
The Department of Health Services is including as probable cases anyone with a positive antigen test, another type of test to determine current infection. Antigen tests (not related to antibody tests) are a newer type of COVID-19 diagnostic test that uses a nasal swab or other fluid samples to test for current infection. Results are typically produced within 15 minutes.
A positive antigen test result is considered very accurate, but there’s an increased chance of false-negative results, the Mayo Clinic says. Depending on the situation, Mayo Clinic officials say the doctor may recommend a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test to confirm a negative antigen test result.
Wednesday’s dashboard shows 80% of inpatient beds and 78% of ICU beds in use on Tuesday, which includes people being treated for COVID-19 and other patients. COVID-19 patients were using 8% of all inpatient beds and 7% of ICU beds. Overall, 24% of ventilators were in use.
What you need to know about Wednesday’s new numbers
● Reported cases in Arizona: 215,284.
● Cases increased by 438, or 0.20%, from Tuesday’s 214,846 identified cases since the outbreak began.
● Cases by county: 140,409 in Maricopa, 25,004 in Pima, 12,609 in Yuma, 10,422 in Pinal, 5,763 in Navajo, 3,930 in Mohave, 3,819 in Coconino, 3,476 in Apache, 2,823 in Santa Cruz, 2,495 in Yavapai, 1,886 in Cochise, 1,245 in Gila, 808 in Graham, 536 in La Paz and 58 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.
● The rate of cases per 100,000 people is highest in Yuma County, followed by Santa Cruz County, Navajo and Apache counties.
● The Navajo Nation reported 10,141 cases and 548 confirmed deaths as of Tuesday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
● Laboratories have completed 1,405,542 diagnostic tests for COVID-19, 11.4% of which have come back positive. That number now includes both PCR and antigen testing. The percentage of positive tests had increased since midMay but began decreasing in July and for the past few weeks has been between 4% and 5%. The state numbers leave out data from labs that do not report electronically.
5,525 known deaths in state
On Wednesday, 27 new deaths were reported, although some may have occurred days and weeks prior.
County deaths: 3,304 in Maricopa, 613 in Pima, 344 in Yuma, 233 in Navajo, 223 in Mohave, 206 in Pinal, 164 in Apache, 133 in Coconino, 79 in Yavapai, 71 in Cochise, 63 in Santa Cruz, 51 in Gila, 24 in Graham, 15 in La Paz and fewer than three in Greenlee.