Arizona reports 6,799 new coronavirus cases, 40 additional deaths

This is a regularly updated story with the latest information about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for Dec. 5, 2020.

PHOENIX – Arizona health authorities on Saturday reported 6,799 new coronavirus cases, the second most ever, with 40 additional deaths.

It was the fourth day this week with more than 5,000 new cases reported, a mark that had never previously been reached.

That put the state’s documented totals at 358,900 COVID-19 infections and 6,925 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Overall, key pandemic metrics have been rising in Arizona at rates not seen since the first wave hit in June and July.

The number of Arizona’s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital inpatients was 2,931 on Friday, a 19% increase in the last week and the most since July 22.

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 701 on Friday, a 22.3% increase in the last week and the most since July 31.

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, 34% of all inpatient beds and 40% of all ICU beds were filled with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients on Friday, levels last seen in late July and early August. Overall, inpatient beds were 90% filled and ICU beds were 92% filled, both matching pandemic highs.

The 144 unused ICU beds were the lowest remaining amount of the pandemic. The 861 unused inpatient beds were the second-fewest of the pandemic.

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 nearly five months.

The positivity rate is 17% for the 82,615 tests reported so far this week, which would be the highest since it was 19% for the week starting July 5.

The positivity rate, which was 15% for 133,792 tests reported last week, 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 health department’s newly reported cases hit a record 4,780.43 for Friday, according to tracking by The Associated Press.

During the first wave of the pandemic in Arizona, when testing was less available than it is now, the seven-day case average got as high as 3,844 on July 6 and afterward fell as low as 373.14 on Sept. 12.

The seven-day average of newly reported deaths had been relatively stable compared to the case counts, but it surged to 42.43 for Friday, an 84% increase from a week earlier and the highest mark since Aug. 31.

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.

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

• Globally, there were about 66 million COVID-19 cases and 1.5 million deaths as of Saturday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University research. The figures for the U.S. were around 14.3 million cases and 279,000 deaths.
• The Navajo Nation reported 225 new coronavirus cases and two additional deaths, bringing the documented totals to 17,738 infections and 667 fatalities.

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