Arizona reports 1,973 new coronavirus cases, 19 more deaths
Jul 26, 2020, 8:24 AM | Updated: Jul 31, 2020, 12:40 pm
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information, news and updates about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for Sunday, July 26.
PHOENIX – The Arizona health department reported 1,973 new coronavirus cases and 19 additional deaths on Sunday morning.
That brought the state’s documented totals to 162,014 COVID-19 infections and 3,305 fatalities.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in Arizona’s hospitals dropped to its lowest level of the month.
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.
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The daily reports present data after the state receives statistics and confirms them, which can lag by several days or more. They don’t represent the actual activity over the past 24 hours.
The rate of new Arizona coronavirus cases has shown signs of slowing in recent weeks following the implementation of face mask requirements in many areas — including all of Maricopa County — and statewide executive orders to close businesses such as bars and gyms and to restrict restaurant occupancy.
Those moves were made after the state became a global hot spot for the coronavirus, which has no impact on some people and is seriously debilitating or fatal for others. Infected people without symptoms – which include but are not limited to cough, fever and difficulty breathing — are capable of spreading the virus.
According to the Associated Press, the seven-day average for newly reported cases fell to 2,618.71 on Thursday, the lowest point since June 22.
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Arizona’s weekly positive rate for diagnostic PCR tests, which indicates how much the virus is spreading, is on pace to fall for the third consecutive week.
For the 22,569 tests given and processed this week, the positive rate is 13%.
The weekly positive rate was 5% in early May and started climbing after Arizona’s stay-at-home order expired. It peaked at 21% the week starting June 28 but had dipped to 15% last week, still much higher than health officials want to see.
Weekly rates are based on when the samples are taken, not when they are reported, so the percentage for recent weeks can fluctuate as labs get caught up on testing.
The number of Arizona’s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients dropped Saturday to 2,650, the fewest since June 30 and the ninth day-to-day decline in the past 10 days.
Arizona’s 20-day streak with at least 3,000 COVID-19 inpatients each day ended Wednesday.
The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds also fell, dropping by 5 overnight to 837.
In other notable hospital data from Saturday related to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients:
- 412 were discharged, up 17 from the previous day.
- 1,236 were seen in emergency departments, 57 less than the previous day.
- 581 were on ventilators, an overnight drop of 13 (more than half of the state’s ventilator supply remained unused).
- 81 intubations for respiratory distress were performed, 6 more than the previous day.
Arizona’s overall inpatient and ICU occupancy rates have been relatively stable in recent days at several percentage points below the high marks of the pandemic.
Inpatient beds were 84% full Saturday, the same as the previous day. The 83% figure seen Monday was the lowest since July 6.
ICU beds were 86% full, the same as the previous day.
The inpatient occupancy rate peaked July 9-10 at 88%, and the ICU occupancy rate topped out at 91% on July 7.
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 Sunday’s latest developments about the coronavirus pandemic from around the state, country and world:
- Country Thunder in Florence, Arizona, has been postponed until April 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- The National Park Service will be reopening access to the Antelope Point public boat ramp in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on Lake Powell beginning Wednesday at 8 a.m.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi assailed Republican “disarray” over a new pandemic relief package as the White House suggested a narrower effort might be necessary, at least for now.
