Arizona releases details on age, race and ethnicity of coronavirus deaths
Apr 12, 2020, 12:54 PM | Updated: 5:05 pm
(Getty Images/Sean Gallup)
(Getty Images/Sean Gallup)
PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Health Services updated its website on Sunday to include additional data on those who have died of the coronavirus.
Of Arizona’s confirmed 115 COVID-19 deaths, 63% were male and 37% were female, according to the AZDHS website.
The coronavirus has hit Arizona’s elderly community the hardest, with 78% of the deaths afflicting those 65 and older.
There have been 24 deaths in the 55-64 age bracket, 12 deaths in the 45-54 age bracket and only one death between those aged 20 to 44.
Regarding the race and ethnicity of those deceased, AZDHS categorized 48% as unknown.
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White, non-Hispanic accounted for 25% of coronavirus fatalities, 16% were Native American, 7% Hispanic or Latino, 3% Asian/Pacific Island and Black or non-Hispanic accounted for 2%.
Sunday morning, AZDHS reported an increase of 146 new coronavirus cases, bringing the state total to 3,539.
On Thursday, Gov. Doug Ducey and Health Director Dr. Cara Christ announced that Arizona’s COVID-19 website would be expanded starting Sunday.
That announcement came two days after Ducey issued an executive order requiring hospitals and health care providers to expand their reports related to coronavirus patients and the capacity to treat them.
It wasn’t long ago that the only coronavirus data reported daily by the state was the total of cases and deaths along with the number of tests given in the state lab, which was just a fraction of the overall testing.
Other than in the early days of the outbreak, private commercial labs have been doing most of the state’s testing, but initially they were just reporting the number of positive results.
On March 23, Ducey issued an executive order requiring private labs to provide more detailed reports.
During a press conference two days later, Christ provided the first estimate of tests given in private commercial labs, which had done around 6,600. The state lab had given fewer than 400 tests at the time.
Then on March 29, the Arizona health department launched an enhanced online COVID-19 dashboard that included additional details about the outbreak, including updated totals of the number of tests given statewide.
Because of a shortage of supplies, health officials have prioritized at-risk populations and people showing serious symptoms for getting tested. In most cases, a positive diagnosis won’t change a patient’s treatment plan.
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.
