Arizona reports 2,457 more COVID cases and 26 deaths

PHOENIX – Health officials in Arizona on Sunday reported 2,457 new COVID-19 cases and 26 additional deaths.

The latest numbers increased the state’s totals to 1,066,803 cases and 19,513 known deaths since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Health officials say people who aren’t fully vaccinated account for nearly all of the serious illnesses and deaths. Arizona has had at least 2,200 cases daily since Monday ranging from 2,278 to 2,885 with the number of deaths per day ranging from zero to 117.

The state’s coronavirus dashboard shows that more than 4.1 million people (57.2% of Arizona’s population) have received at least one dose of vaccine with over 3.6 million residents fully vaccinated (50.1% of the population).

That compares to the nationwide rates of 63.6% people with at least one dose and 54.4% fully vaccinated, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to Arizona’s coronavirus dashboard, the number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in the state’s hospitals was 1,922 on Saturday – a decrease of 59 from the previous day.

Meanwhile, the number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients was 542 –down 11 from Friday.

Also Sunday, the Navajo Nation reported 18 more COVID-19 cases, but no deaths for the second time in the past three days.

The latest numbers pushed the tribe’s totals to 33,531 confirmed COVID-19 cases from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago. The death toll remained at 1,429.