Arizona reports 18 new coronavirus deaths as case count nears 7,000
Apr 28, 2020, 9:06 AM | Updated: Apr 29, 2020, 9:56 am
Cars line up as they prepare for coronavirus testing at a site erected near the Arizona Veterans Memorial Arena at the Arizona State Fairgrounds on April 27, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — A day after no new coronavirus deaths were confirmed in Arizona, state health officials reported Tuesday that 18 more people have died from COVID-19.
That pushed the state’s coronavirus death total to 293.
With 232 new positive tests reported Tuesday, Arizona now has 6,948 cases.
There have been 67,438 tests given in the state, an increase of 895 from the previous report.
The Arizona Department of Health Services has been providing case and testing updates on its website each morning. The daily report includes details about deaths and hospital capacity plus a ZIP code map of cases. (Check your ZIP code in the chart below.)
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The state reported totals of 6,716 cases and 275 deaths on Monday morning, with 66,543 tests given.
Arizona saw four consecutive days of at least 17 deaths last week, with outbreak highs of 21 each on Tuesday and Wednesday. But a total of just nine deaths were reported over the weekend, followed Monday with the first day of zero reported deaths in more than a month.
Fifteen of the deaths reported Tuesday were in Maricopa County, which is up to 137 coronavirus fatalities, according to the state.
Arizona’s hospital resources have remained relatively stable over recent weeks, with about 70% of emergency room beds and more than 20% of ICU units and inpatient beds remaining available.
Additionally, more than 70% of Arizona’s supply of ventilators has remained available.
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Officials on Monday unveiled a plan to boost testing for the virus in Arizona.
The program, called the Arizona Testing Blitz, aims to test 10,000-20,000 residents for COVID-19 over each of the next three Saturdays.
The push to increase testing comes as Ducey’s stay-at-home order, which went into effect March 31, is set to expire after Thursday.
Ducey is expected to announce in the coming days whether he will extend or modify the order.
In most cases, a positive test won’t change a patient’s treatment plan.
Coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, 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.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 53,922 deaths from more than 957,000 COVID-19 cases as of Monday’s daily U.S. update.
According to data compiled and regularly updated by Johns Hopkins University, there were more than 3 million cases and over 212,000 deaths globally as of Tuesday morning.
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