As omicron spreads, Arizona reports more than 5,000 new cases Thursday

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PHOENIX – With the highly contagious omicron variant on its way to becoming the dominant form of COVID-19 in Arizona, state health officials reported 5,687 new cases and 41 more deaths on Thursday.

Today’s #COVID19 dashboard update adds 5,687 cases and 41 deaths. Hospitals need our help during this busy time. Get vaccinated/boosted and take steps to reduce the spread: Stay home if sick, mask and get tested if you have symptoms or have been exposed. https://t.co/Kd4hI8dDY9 pic.twitter.com/BxUtWjpYbz

— AZ Dept of Health (@AZDHS) December 30, 2021

That put the state’s documented totals at 1,373,767 case and 24,212 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard.

While omicron appears to produce less severe illness than previous versions of COVID-19, health officials worry that the variant’s rapid spread could push hospitalizations higher while the health system is still stretched thin by a delta variant wave that hasn’t fully subsided.

Dr. Marjorie Bessel, chief medical officer for Banner Health, Arizona’s largest hospital system, said omicron could surpass delta as the state’s predominant variant within the next week or so.

“It means that we should all be doing the things that we were doing for the delta variant and the variants that came before that,” she said during a press briefing this week.

“Get vaccinated if you’re unvaccinated. Get boostered if you’re eligible. Wear a mask when you’re indoors. Stay home when you’re ill. And get tested if you think you have symptoms that could be consistent with COVID.”

While some states have seen cases surge to record levels as omicron takes root, the variant’s impact on Arizona hasn’t yet been as significant. However, that could be changing.

The state’s seven-day average for new cases is still less than half of what it was during last winter’s peak, but Thursday saw one of the largest daily reports since January.

COVID-related hospitalizations, which this week dipped to their lowest levels in over a month, bumped up Wednesday. In addition, the positive rate for diagnostic testing is at an all-time high this week.

The number of Arizona hospital COVID inpatients was at 2,323 on Wednesday, up 43 from the previous day. ICU use for COVID patients was at 628 beds, up 20 from the previous day.

Overall remaining hospital space was reported at 544 inpatient beds (6% of capacity) and 110 ICU beds (7% of capacity) on Wednesday. COVID cases were taking up 26% of statewide inpatient beds and 38% of the ICU beds.

Arizona’s percent positivity for diagnostic COVID testing was at 20% for samples taken this week as of Thursday’s dashboard update, up 7 percentage points from the previous week to match the pandemic high seen way back in June 2020.

ADHS testing data is based mainly on electronic laboratory reporting and may not include results from home kits.

ADHS data for October showed that Arizonans who weren’t fully vaccinated against COVID were nearly four times more likely than those who were to test positive and over 15 times more likely to die from the virus.

The vaccine protection is even stronger when accounting for booster shots, according to nationwide data. Unvaccinated people in October were at 10 times greater risk of getting infected and 20 times greater risk of dying than people whose vaccination level included a booster dose, the CDC said.

The state dashboard on Thursday showed 69.4% of Arizonans old enough to get vaccinated had received at least one shot, with 58.5% fully vaccinated. The national rates are 77.9% of age-eligible individuals with at least one dose and 65.9% fully vaccinated.

The minimum age to receive the Pfizer shot is 5, and it’s 18 for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The Pfizer version has full Food and Drug Administration approval, while the other two were granted emergency use authorization.

Health officials strongly recommend booster shots for adults (including people 16 and older for Pfizer) who received their second Pfizer or Moderna doses more than six months ago and those who got the Johnson & Johnson shot at least two months ago.

For details about statewide vaccine availability, the ADHS website has a vaccine-finder page with locations and other information.

For information about metro Phoenix vaccine availability, Maricopa County Public Health has a locator page that lists pharmacies, government-run sites, health clinics and pop-up distribution events. Appointments may be required depending on the provider.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 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 where to get tested for COVID-19 can be found on the ADHS website.

The state health department’s daily updates present case and death 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 numbers posted each morning are reported electronically the previous evening by hospitals across the state.

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