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| Republic of Arizona
Arizona has passed 10,000 known deaths and 600,000 cases of COVID-19 as the state is again the worst in the country for new cases.
The nearly 100 new known deaths reported by the state on Saturday brought the number of known deaths from COVID-19 to 10,036.
The state’s seven-day new case average is back to the highest in the country after being ranked second on Friday. Previously, Arizona was ranked first for three consecutive days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Data Tracker.
Arizona’s rate of new positive cases over the past seven days was 126.4 cases per 100,000 people, according to the CDC. The US average of new cases is 68.7 cases per 100,000 people.
The state reported more than 17,200 new cases on Sunday, the highest number of new COVID-19 cases reported in a single day since the start of the pandemic, reversing the state’s previous December 8 record of nearly 5,000 case. The record follows the Christmas and New Year holiday weekends.
The state’s data dashboard shows that 92% of all intensive care beds and 93% of all inpatient beds in Arizona were in use as of Thursday, with 54% of intensive care beds and 57% of beds non-ICU occupied by COVID-19 patients. Statewide, there were 138 ICU beds and 633 non-ICU beds available.
Hospitals are experiencing a “surge in a wave”, with signs of worse weeks to come.
The number of patients hospitalized in Arizona for known or suspected cases of COVID-19 was 4,918 on Friday, slightly below the record 4,920 on Wednesday. In comparison, the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in a single day during the summer flare was 3,517 on July 13.
The number of patients with suspected or known COVID-19 in intensive care units in Arizona was 1,121 on Friday, one below Thursday’s record of 1,122. During the summer surge in mid-July, intensive care beds used for COVID-19 peaked at 970.
Arizonans with confirmed and suspected COVID-19 on ventilators counted 791 on Friday, up from 799, Thursday’s record. During the summer flare, July 16 was the peak day for ventilator use with 687 patients.
As of Thursday, 2,109 emergency room visits for COVID-19, below the Dec. 29 one-day record of 2,341 positive or suspected COVID-19 patients seen in state emergency departments.
New cases in Arizona have eclipsed 5,000 in 26 of the past 31 days. Public health experts expect the virus to spread further through personal contact while on vacation.
The 11,094 new cases on Saturday brought the total number of identified COVID-19 cases in the state to 607,345. There were 98 additional deaths reported on Saturday, bringing the known total of Arizonans who died from the disease to 10,036, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services data dashboard.
The percentage of positivity, which refers to the percentage of positive COVID-19 diagnostic tests, has generally increased, which many health experts see as an early indicator of a spike in illness.
Arizona’s positivity rate also continues to rise. Last week it was 25%. For the previous week, it was 20%, according to the state, which has a unique way of calculating the percentage of positivity. The percentage of positivity was 4% for several weeks in August, September and October, according to state data.
Johns Hopkins University calculates Arizona’s seven-day moving average of the percentage of positives at 20.2% on Saturday. It shows that the state’s positivity percentage peaked at 24.2% last month.
A 5% positivity rate is considered a good benchmark for the spread of the disease to be under control.
Arizona began its first COVID-19 vaccinations for Phase 1A the week of December 14, but the process has progressed slowly. According to Governor Doug Ducey, healthcare workers, first responders, residents of long-term care facilities and other vulnerable populations will be prioritized in the early stages, as will teachers. He said the vaccine will be free to anyone who needs it once it becomes more widely available.
What there is to know Saturday numbers
Arizona reported cases: 607,345.
Cases since the start of the epidemic have increased by 11,094, or 1.86%, from the 596,251 cases identified on Friday. These daily cases are grouped by the date they are reported to the Arizona Department of Health Services, not the date the tests were administered.
Cases by county: 374,740 in Maricopa, 80,642 in Pima, 32,960 in Pinal, 30,847 in Yuma, 15027 in Mohave, 13,293 in Yavapai, 12,610 in Coconino, 12,370 in Navajo, 8,737 in Cochise, 8,201 in Apache, 6,620 in Santa Cruz, 5,006 in Gila, 4,012 in Graham, 1,821 in La Paz and 459 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.
The case rate per 100,000 population is highest in Yuma County, followed by Santa Cruz, Apache and Navajo counties. The rate in Yuma County is 13,414 cases per 100,000 population. For comparison, the average US rate as of Friday was 6,488 cases per 100,000 people, according to the CDC.
The Navajo Nation reported 24,776 cases and a total of 866 confirmed deaths on Friday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Tribal chiefs have put in place a lockdown on the hearth and reinstated weekend curfews due to what officials have called the “uncontrolled spread” of COVID-19 in tribal communities.
The Arizona Corrections Department reported that 7,823 inmates tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday, including 1,571 in Tucson, 1,530 in Yuma, 1,272 in Eyman and 911 in Douglas; 43,055 inmates statewide have been tested. A total of 2,007 prison staff have self-reported positive, the department said. Twenty-six people incarcerated in Arizona have been confirmed to have died from COVID-19, with 15 more deaths under investigation.
Race / ethnicity is unknown for 23% of all COVID-19 cases statewide, but 34% of people are white, 29% are Hispanic or Latin American, 5% are Native American, 3% are black and 1% are Asian / Pacific Islander.
Of those who have tested positive in Arizona since the start of the pandemic, 15% were under 20, 45% were between 20 and 44, 15% were between 45 and 54, 12% were between 55 and 64 and 13% were over 65.
Laboratories performed 3,044,506 diagnostic tests on unique individuals for COVID-19, of which 13.7% came back positive. This number includes both PCR and antigen testing. The percentage of positive tests had increased since mid-May but began to decline in July and remained stable around 4% for several weeks, according to the state. It was 25% last week. State numbers omit data from laboratories that do not electronically report.
The Arizona Department of Health Services has started including probable cases such as anyone who tests positive for antigen, another type of test to determine current infection. Antigen testing (not related to antibody testing) is a new type of COVID-19 diagnostic test that uses a nasal swab or other fluid sample to test for current infection. Results are usually produced within 15 minutes.
A positive antigen test result is considered very accurate, but there is an increased risk of false negative results, according to the Mayo Clinic. Depending on the situation, Mayo Clinic officials say a doctor may recommend a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test to confirm a negative antigen test result.
Arizona had the 14th highest overall case rate in the country since January 21. , Oklahoma, Idaho, Arkansas, Kansas and Indiana, according to the CDC.
Arizona’s infection rate is 8,032 cases per 100,000 people, according to the CDC. The national average is 6,488 cases per 100,000 population, although rates in hard-hit states at the start of the pandemic may be undercounted due to a lack of available tests in March and April.
Deaths reported in Arizona: 10,036
Deaths by County: 5767 in Maricopa, 1219 in Pima, 573 in Yuma, 417 in Pinal, 389 in Mohave, 372 in Navajo, 275 in Yavapai, 259 in Apache, 233 in Coconino, 164 in Cochise, 154 in Gila, 116 in Santa Cruz, 55 in Graham, 39 in La Paz and four in Greenlee.
People aged 65 and over accounted for 7,445 of the 10,036 deaths, or 74%. Subsequently, 15% of deaths concerned the 55 to 64 age group, 6% of 45 to 54 years and 5% of 20 to 44 years.
While race / ethnicity is unknown for 9% of deaths, 47% of those who died with known race / ethnicity were White, 28% were Hispanic or Latin American, 9% were Native American , 3% were black and 1% were Asian / Pacific Islander, state data shows.
The global death toll on Saturday morning was 1,916,091 and the United States had the highest death toll of any country in the world, at 368,947, according to Johns Hopkins University. Arizona’s total of 10,036 deaths represents 2.7% of COVID-19 deaths in the United States on Saturday.
Arizona’s COVID-19 death rate was 133 per 100,000 people on Friday, according to the CDC, placing it 13th in the country in a state ranking that separates New York from New York state. The US average is 109 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the CDC.
New York has the highest death rate, with 302 deaths per 100,000 population. Next come New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, North Dakota, Connecticut, South Dakota, Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Contact the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-8529. Follow her on Twitter @brieannafrank.
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