Total of Arizona coronavirus cases climbs past 2,500 with 73 deaths

PHOENIX — The number of coronavirus cases in Arizona passed the 2,500 mark, and the death count increased to 73, state health officials announced Tuesday morning.

The state now has 2,575 positive tests for COVID-19, with 33,375 tests having been given. Seven percent of tests processed have come back positive.

Tuesday’s numbers were an increase of 119 cases and eight deaths from the previous day.

The Arizona Department of Health Services has been providing daily case and testing updates on its website each morning.

The state reported 2,456 cases and 65 deaths, with 32,534 tests given, on Monday.

The number of cases in Maricopa County, the state’s most-populous and hardest-hit county, increased by 62 to 1,495 on Tuesday, according to the state report.

The Phoenix-area death total increased by four to 35. Of Maricopa County’s cases, 19% of patients have required hospitalization.

Maricopa County started posting data from the Phoenix area’s long-term care facilities, where many residents are in the high-risk group for complications from COVID-19. There were 77 cases and 13 deaths at Maricopa County long-term care facilities reported as of Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, Arizona saw a massive increase in unemployment filings last week as businesses continue to cut staff because of the virus’ impact on the economy. The state on Monday reported 129,215 new claims last week, bringing the three-week total to more than 247,000. The average before the virus hit was about 3,500 claims a week.

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 8,910 deaths from more than 330,000 COVID-19 cases as of Monday’s daily update.

According to data compiled and regularly updated by Johns Hopkins University, there were more than 1.3 million cases and 76,000 deaths globally as of Tuesday morning.

For most people, coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow @KTAR923