Arizona reports 1,357 new coronavirus cases, 8 additional deaths

Jul 13, 2020, 8:24 AM | Updated: 10:10 pm

This is a regularly updated story with the latest information, news and updates about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for Monday, July 13.

PHOENIX – The Arizona health department reported 1,357 new coronavirus cases on Monday morning and eight additional deaths.

That brought the state’s totals to 123,824 COVID-19 cases and 2,245 fatalities.

The Arizona Department of Health Services has been providing case and testing updates on its website each morning. The dashboard includes, among other information, testing trends, updated hospital capacity and a ZIP code map of cases.

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

New cases have been increasing in Arizona at a faster rate than testing has been increasing, indicating community spread of a virus that has no impact on some people and is seriously debilitating or fatal for others. Infected people who don’t show symptoms are still capable of spreading the coronavirus.

Face coverings can help prevent the virus’ spread and are required in public throughout the Phoenix area and many other Arizona communities when social distancing isn’t possible.

Gov. Doug Ducey gave local governments the authority to implement mask requirements on June 17, and most of the regulations were in effect within a few days. Officials said it would take several weeks for the effects of the requirements to be seen, and that’s about how long it took for the positive test percentage to stop increasing.

Arizona’s weekly positive rate for PCR tests, which diagnose active coronavirus infections, had been steadily rising since early May, when it was 5%, but is showing signs of leveling off. The positive rate for last week’s completed tests is 19%, which, if it holds up, would be the first weekly decline in 10 weeks.

The PCR positive rate peaked the week starting June 21 at 21% and remained at that level the following week. Previous weekly rates can change as test results come in for samples taken during those times.

There have been more than 701,000 PCR tests completed in Arizona since the start of the pandemic, including 6,240 added to the total Monday, with a positive rate of 14.2%. The positive rate was 14.1% on Sunday, 12% on June 30, and 6.7% on May 31.

The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in Arizona’s hospitals declined Sunday for the second consecutive day to 3,373, 59 fewer than the previous day and the lowest point since July 5.

However, 936 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds, the most ever.

In other notable hospital data from Sunday related to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients:

425 were discharged, a decrease from the previous report for the second consecutive day following four consecutive days of more than 500.
1,650 were seen in emergency departments, the fifth consecutive day that number decreased.
617 were on ventilators, 40 more than the record high set the previous day. (About half of the state’s ventilator supply remains unused.)
99 intubations for respiratory distress were performed, one more than the previous day but well below the daily high of 121 from July 7.

For all beds, not just those with COVID-19 patients, Arizona’s hospitals remain near the fullest they’ve been during the pandemic.

Inpatient beds were 87% full Sunday, 1 percentage point below the high point seen July 9. Inpatient beds have been at least 85% full each of the past six days.

Arizona’s ICU beds were 90% full Sunday, 1 percentage point below the high point last seen July 7. ICU beds have been at least 89% full since June 30.

Hospital bed data on the health department website does not include surge beds that have not been activated but can potentially increase capacity.

Below are Monday’s latest developments about the coronavirus pandemic from around the state, country and world:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom took action to ban indoor dining and bars while also rendering nail and hair salons off-limits throughout most of the state.
Navajo Nation reported 56 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths Monday.
Arizonans are becoming more concerned with the coronavirus pandemic while Gov. Doug Ducey’s approval is falling, according to new polling from OH Predictive Insights released Monday.
A group of boutique fitness businesses has sued Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey over his executive order to close gyms in an attempt to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Gov. Doug Ducey announced Monday his office awarded $120,000 in funding to support first responder mental health during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Arizona Department of Health Services announced a second session of free COVID-19 testing using a saliva sample process developed at Arizona State University. The drive-thru sample collection will take place Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Ak-Chin Pavilion in west Phoenix.
At least 90% of the Valley population should be wearing a face mask when they go out during the pandemic, a White House coronavirus testing czar Adm. Brett Giroir told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News.
Sonora Quest Laboratories is planning to significantly increase its COVID-19 testing capacity and produce results much faster as part of a new initiative called Operation Catapult.