Arizona reports 3,982 new coronavirus cases, 9 additional deaths

This is a regularly updated story with the latest information about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for Nov. 25, 2020.

PHOENIX – Arizona health authorities on Wednesday reported 3,982 new coronavirus cases with nine additional deaths.

That put the state’s documented totals at 310,850 COVID-19 infections and 6,524 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Overall, key pandemic metrics have been rising in Arizona at a rate not seen since the first wave hit in June and July. Cases have been surging since the beginning of October and are approaching record levels.

The number of Arizona’s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital inpatients was 2,217 on Tuesday, more than doubling since the start of November and the most since July 30.

The number of COVID-19 inpatients peaked July 13 at 3,517 and fell afterward as low as 468 on Sept. 27.

The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds was 531 on Tuesday, more than doubling since the start of November and the most since Aug. 7.

The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds peaked July 13 at 970 and fell afterward as low as 114 on Sept. 22.

Statewide, 26% of all inpatient beds and 30% of all ICU beds were filled with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients on Tuesday, levels last seen in early August. Overall, inpatient beds were 88% filled and ICU beds were 90% filled on Tuesday.

Arizona’s weekly percent positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, an indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, has reached its highest level in four months.

The positivity rate was 13% through 7,285 tests reported this week, the highest since it was 16% for the week starting July 12. It was 12% for 149,216 tests from last week.

The weekly rate peaked at 21% at the end of June and was down to 4% as recently as early October.

Official positivity rates are based on when the samples are taken, not when they are reported, so the percentage for recent weeks can fluctuate as labs get caught up on testing and the results are documented by the state.

The rolling seven-day average for the state health department’s newly reported cases reached an all-time high of 3,853.14 for Tuesday, according to tracking by The Associated Press.

The seven-day case average had fallen as low as 373.14 on Sept. 12 after the previous peak of 3,844 on July 6.

The seven-day average of newly reported deaths is relatively stable compared to the case counts but has been trending upward recently. It was at 29 for Tuesday, the highest since Sept. 9.

The seven-day death average peaked July 30 at 94 and fell afterward as low as 5.57 on Oct. 14.

The Arizona health department’s daily reports present case, death and testing data after the state receives statistics and confirms them, which can lag by several days or more. They don’t represent the actual activity over the past 24 hours.

The hospitalization data posted each morning is reported the previous evening by the hospitals.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has no impact on some people and is seriously debilitating or fatal for others. Infected people without symptoms — which include but are not limited to cough, fever and difficulty breathing — are capable of spreading the virus.

Information about testing locations can be found on the Arizona Department of Health Services website.

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Below are Wednesday’s latest developments about the coronavirus pandemic from around the state, country and world:

• Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show she thinks coronavirus cases will continue to rise beyond the Thanksgiving holiday.
• The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week for a second straight week to 778,000, evidence that the U.S. economy and job market remain under strain as coronavirus cases surge and colder weather heighten the risks.
• Banner Health, Arizona’s largest hospital system, expects to tap into its surge capacity in the next few weeks to handle spiking coronavirus cases.
• The city of Tempe is making $2 million available to residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who need help paying their mortgage or rent.
• Globally, there were more than 59.93 million COVID-19 cases and 1.41 million deaths as of Wednesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University research. The figures for the U.S. were around 12.6 million cases and 260,000 deaths.

Follow @KTAR923