State Glance

Arizona reports 385 new COVID-19 cases and 5 more deaths

PHOENIX — Health officials in Arizona on Sunday reported 385 new cases of COVID-19 and five additional deaths.

They said the state now has recorded 889,727 known cases of the disease and 17,843 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic started more than a year ago.

Arizona Department of Health Services officials reported 641 new cases and 16 deaths Saturday.

It was the highest single-day case number since June 2.

Nearly 6.3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered with almost 3.5 million Arizonans — 48.6% of the state’s population — having received at least one shot.

State health officials said more than 3 million residents now are fully vaccinated.

Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order earlier this week to prevent state public universities and community colleges from requiring students get vaccinated, submit vaccination documents, be tested or forced to wear masks. No Arizona university had a vaccine requirement.

Various groups are offering incentives for people to get immunized.

Navajo Nation reports 6 new COVID-19 cases, 3 more deaths

WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation has reported six new cases of COVID-19 and three more deaths.

Tribal health officials released the latest numbers on Saturday.

The sprawling reservation that stretches into New Mexico, Arizona and Utah has seen at 30,965 known cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began and 1,346 deaths.

The Navajo Department of Health on Friday lifted the nation’s stay-athome order, easing restrictions to allow in-person meetings and ceremonies of 25 people or fewer and drive-thru gatherings of up to 100 vehicles.

Face masks are required by everyone, whether or not they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer on Friday vetoed a resolution to reopen parks on the nation, including parks that encompass Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon, to 100% capacity. Nez and Lizer said in a letter to the Navajo Nation Council that the nation needs to be careful with variants of the disease still circulating.

They said that rather than opening the parks to full capacity, opening to 50% capacity would allow officials to monitor the impacts of reopening and gradually increase capacity from

there.