Arizona reports 3,388 new COVID-19 cases, 39 more deaths Wednesday

PHOENIX – Arizona health officials on Wednesday reported 3,388 new COVID-19 cases, a batch that included lagging data, and 39 additional deaths from the disease.

The Arizona Department of Health Services said it experienced a data issue over the weekend that has been corrected but would result in some cases that normally would have been reported earlier in the week being included in the Wednesday and Thursday updates.

As a result, Tuesday’s update had the fewest cases of the month and Wednesday’s the most since Sept. 4.

The latest documented totals are 1,090,839 infections and 19,959 fatalities, according to the ADHS COVID-19 dashboard.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have been easing downward recently, with people who aren’t fully vaccinated accounting for nearly all of the serious illnesses and deaths.

The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in the state’s hospitals Tuesday was 1,767, down 27 from the previous day to the lowest level since Aug. 17.

The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients was 522, down 28 from the previous day.

The positivity rate for COVID-19 diagnostic testing conducted last week was 12%, up 1 point from the previous week. It’s 13% so far for this week’s testing.

The dashboard also showed that 4,173,902 people (58.1% of the state’s population, based on 7,189,020 residents) have received at least one dose of vaccine in Arizona and 3,693,008 people are fully vaccinated (51.4% of the population). The nationwide rates are 64.4% with at least one dose and 55.8% fully vaccinated, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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.

Free federally authorized vaccines are widely available and highly effective in preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19, including the predominant and more contagious delta variant.

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.

The minimum age to receive the Pfizer shot is 12, and it’s 18 for the other available versions, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

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.

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