Arizona reports 1,559 new coronavirus cases, 23 additional deaths

This is a regularly updated story with the latest information, news and updates about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for Monday, July 20.

PHOENIX – The Arizona health department reported 1,559 new coronavirus cases and 23 more deaths on Monday morning.

That brought the state’s totals to 145,183 COVID-19 cases and 2,784 fatalities.

The Arizona Department of Health Services has been providing case and testing updates on its website each morning. The dashboard includes, among other information, testing trends, updated hospital capacity and a ZIP code map of cases.

The daily reports present data after the state receives statistics and confirms them, which can lag by several days. They don’t represent the actual activity over the past 24 hours.

The rate of new Arizona coronavirus cases has shown signs of slowing in recent weeks following the implementation of face mask requirements in many cities and statewide executive orders to close bars, gyms, movie theaters and water parks and to restrict restaurant occupancy.

Those moves were made after the state became a global hot spot for the coronavirus, which 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.

Arizona’s weekly positive rate for diagnostic PCR tests, which indicate how much the virus is spreading, had been steadily rising since early May, when it was 5%, but is starting to drop.

The positive rate for last week’s completed tests is 16%, which is higher than health officials want to see but would be the lowest since the week starting June 7.

The positive rate for two weeks ago is 18%, down from the pandemic-high 21% from the previous week and the first decline in the positive rate since the week starting May 3.

Weekly 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, which can take 10 days or more in some cases.

The number of Arizona’s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients decreased Sunday to 3,084, the fewest since July 3. It was third consecutive daily decline and fifth in six days.

The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds dipped by two overnight to 886 on Sunday, the fewest since July 9.

According to hospital data for Sunday, 45.3% of all Arizona inpatients and 60% of the state’s ICU patients are confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases.

In other notable hospital data from Sunday related to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients:

• 369 were discharged, more than 100 fewer than the previous day and the lowest since July 2.
• 1,357 were seen in emergency departments, the 11th day-to-day drop in the past 12 days and the lowest since July 5.
• 622 were on ventilators for the second consecutive day.
• 90 intubations for respiratory distress were performed, one more than the previous day but the second fewest since July 2.

Arizona’s overall inpatient and ICU occupancy rates have been relatively stable in recent weeks, but it’s been more than a week since those rates peaked.

Inpatient beds were 86% full Sunday for the third consecutive day and have been at least 85% full each of the past 13 days, peaking at 88% on July 10.

ICU beds were 87% full, 1 percentage point lower than the previous day and the first time below 88% since June 29. The ICU occupancy rate peaked at 91% on July 7.

Hospital bed data on the health department website does not include surge beds that have not been activated but can potentially increase capacity.

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

• Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez announced 24 additional cases of the coronavirus among the Navajo Nation and zero recent deaths.
• The effort to organize another round of COVID-19 economic relief took on even greater urgency as a burgeoning economic crisis collided with political turmoil. While the latest experimental vaccine appeared to show promise, politicians in Washington were far apart in finding a way to bring financial relief to Americans.
• Scientists at Oxford University say their experimental coronavirus vaccine has been shown in an early trial to prompt a protective immune response in hundreds of people who got the shot.
• A free drive-thru coronavirus testing program in metro Phoenix attracted far fewer participants over the weekend than officials had anticipated.
• Vitalant is asking fully recovered coronavirus survivors to donate convalescent plasma to aid those currently fighting COVID-19 in hospitals.
• The head of a Phoenix-based education nonprofit said that reopening Arizona schools for in-person learning should rely on multiple coronavirus public health metrics.
• Some Arizonans who have used up their regular unemployment benefits can get more relief through a 13-week extension, the state Department of Economic Security said.
• Top Republicans in Congress are expected to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on the next COVID-19 aid package as the crisis many hoped would have improved has dramatically worsened, just as emergency relief is expiring.

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