Arizona COVID-19 case average falls to 1/10 of what it was at omicron peak

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PHOENIX – Arizona’s seven-day average of newly reported COVID-19 cases has fallen to about one-tenth of what it was at the peak of the omicron wave last month.

The state’s seven-day average climbed to a pandemic record of nearly 21,000 cases in late January. The rate has plummeted since then and dropped below 2,100 on Monday for the first time in almost four months.

The case average ticked up to 2,219 on Tuesday for the first day-over-day increase since Jan. 24, but it was still the second-lowest mark since Oct. 26.

Here’s the latest state data on the pandemic (hospital, case, death and testing statistics are based on Wednesday morning’s update of the Arizona Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard; seven-day averages are based on tracking by The New York Times):

COVID-19 cases

• Documented pandemic total – 1,971,678
• Daily new reports – Wednesday: 1,236; One day earlier: 2,738; One week earlier: 2,177; Pandemic high: 27,681 (Jan. 22, 2022)
• Seven-day average – Tuesday: 2,219; One day earlier: 2,077; One week earlier: 4,095; Pandemic high: 20,778 (Jan. 24, 2022)

COVID-19 deaths

• Documented pandemic total – 27,790
• Daily new reports – Wednesday: 39; One day earlier: 129; One week earlier: 3; Pandemic high: 335 (Jan. 12, 2021)
• Seven-day average – Tuesday: 81; One day earlier: 63; One week earlier: 52; Pandemic high: 175 (Jan. 13, 2021)

COVID-19 hospitalizations

• COVID inpatients – Tuesday: 1,475; One day earlier: 1,527; One week earlier: 2,037; Pandemic high: 5,082 (Jan. 11, 2021)
• COVID ICU patients – Tuesday: 347; One day earlier: 354; One week earlier: 443; Pandemic high: 1,183 (Jan. 11, 2021)

Statewide hospital capacity

• Inpatients beds available – Tuesday: 598 (7% of capacity); One day earlier: 701 (8%); One week earlier: 514 (6%)
• Percentage of inpatient beds with COVID patients – Tuesday: 17%; One day earlier: 17%; One week earlier: 23%
• ICU beds available – Tuesday: 167 (10% of capacity); One day earlier: 183 (11%); One week earlier: 141 (9%)
• Percentage of ICU beds with COVID patients – Tuesday: 21%; One day earlier: 22%; One week earlier: 27%

Laboratory diagnostic testing

• Weekly percent positivity – Samples taken this week: 9%; Last week: 11%; Two weeks ago: 16%; Pandemic high (for a full week): 34% (Jan. 16-22, 2022)
• Find a testing site: ADHS (statewide)

Find a vaccine site

• ADHS (statewide); Maricopa County Public Health (metro Phoenix)

Additional details

With numbers in decline across the board, the Arizona Department of Health Services announced that it will stop updating its pandemic dashboard on a daily basis after Saturday morning and shift to weekly updates starting March 2.

The ADHS daily case and death updates can cover multiple days of reporting because of data processing procedures and aren’t meant to represent the actual activity over the previous 24 hours. The hospitalization numbers posted each morning are reported electronically the previous evening by hospitals across the state.

The actual caseload is likely higher than officially reported because ADHS data is based mainly on electronic laboratory reporting and doesn’t include results from home kits unless individuals report them to their health care providers.

Vaccines have proven to reduce the likelihood of a COVID infection causing serious illness or death, even with the highly contagious omicron variant. Booster shots provide additional protection and are approved for individuals who received their second Pfizer (ages 12 and up only) or Moderna doses at least five months ago or the Johnson & Johnson shot at least two months ago.

The minimum age for vaccination is 5 for Pfizer and 18 for Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.

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