Arizona reports more than 30 coronavirus deaths for 2nd day in row

PHOENIX — With Arizona days away from letting some businesses reopen their doors, the state reported more than 30 coronavirus deaths for the second consecutive day Wednesday morning.

With 31 new deaths, the state now has 426 COVID-19 fatalities.

Arizona’s reported positive test count increased by 402 to 9,707.

The number of tests given went up by 3,477 to 91,737. Eight percent of the tests processed have come back positive.

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 from COVID-19 and hospital capacity plus a ZIP code map of cases. Information on coronavirus antibody testing was added Tuesday.

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

The department reported totals of 9,305 cases and 395 deaths, including 33 new ones, with 88,260 tests given on Tuesday morning.

After zero deaths were reported Monday, the state added 64 fatalities to the total Tuesday and Wednesday, the largest two-day surge of the outbreak.

Gov. Doug Ducey recently announced that the state’s stay-at-home order, which has been in effect since March 31, was being extended through May 15 but modified.

Starting Friday, retail stores can reopen if they follow guidelines designed to curb the spread of coronavirus. Barber shops and hair salons taking the proper precautions can also resume service that day.

Then on Monday, restaurants, which have been limited to takeout and delivery, can resume dine-in service on a limited basis.

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.

In most cases, a positive test won’t change a patient’s treatment plan.

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 70,802 deaths from nearly 1.2 million COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday’s daily U.S. update.

According to data compiled and regularly updated by Johns Hopkins University, there were nearly 3.7 million cases and about 261,000 deaths globally as of Wednesday afternoon.

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