Arizona leads the nation in coronavirus cases per 100K people
Jan 4, 2021, 7:02 PM | Updated: 7:06 pm
PHOENIX – Arizona ranks first in the United States for the average daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Monday’s data, Arizona has averaged 121.8 daily cases per 100,000 people in the last week. That number is nearly double the national average of 64.7 cases per capita.
California, which has implemented strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of the virus, is second to Arizona with 97.1 cases per 100,000.
Tennessee, South Carolina and Kansas round out the top five highest daily cases in the country.
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On Monday, Arizona health officials reported 5,158 new coronavirus cases and three additional deaths, bringing the state’s documented totals for the pandemic to 561,542 COVID-19 infections and 9,064 fatalities.
Health officials reported a daily record of 17,234 cases on Sunday as well.
The surge in coronavirus numbers does not account for the wave of cases health officials expect to see in the coming weeks after people likely traveled and gathered for Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Arizona’s weekly percent positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, an indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, soared to a record level last week, when 26% of people tested got a positive result. That’s 5 percentage points above the previous high mark.
The rolling seven-day average for the health department’s newly reported cases soared to a new high of 8,863.86 for Sunday, eclipsing 8,000 for the first time, according to tracking by The Associated Press.
