Arizona reports 461 new coronavirus cases, 22 additional deaths

Sep 10, 2020, 8:27 AM | Updated: Sep 11, 2020, 7:57 am

(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

This is a regularly updated story with the latest information, news and updates about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for Thursday, Sept. 10.

PHOENIX – Arizona health authorities reported 461 new coronavirus cases and 22 more deaths on Thursday morning.

That put the state’s documented totals at 207,002 COVID-19 infections and 5,273 deaths, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Multiple key metrics about the severity of Arizona’s pandemic, including coronavirus-related hospitalizations, are at or near the lowest they’ve been in months.

The number of Arizona’s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients fell to 628 on Wednesday, the fewest since April 17.

The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds ticked up by one overnight to 204, the second fewest since it was 155 on April 8, the first day AZDHS reported COVID hospitalizations.

COVID-19 inpatients peaked at 3,517 on July 13, and COVID-19 patients in ICU beds topped out at 970 the same day.

Overall, inpatient beds were 82% full on Wednesday, 3 points higher than previous day. The inpatient occupancy rate peaked at 88% on July 9-10.

The ICU occupancy rate was 78% on Wednesday, 2 points higher than the previous day. 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.

Arizona’s weekly positive rate for COVID-19 diagnostic tests is on pace to be 4% for the fourth consecutive week, the lowest it’s been since the early days of the pandemic in March. It had been as high as 20% the week starting June 28.

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 and the results are documented by the state.

The Arizona health department’s daily reports present case, death and testing 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 hospital data posted each morning, however, is reported the previous evening by the hospitals.

As cases skyrocketed in June, local governments in many parts of Arizona — including all of Maricopa County — implemented face mask requirements, and Gov. Doug Ducey issued statewide executive orders to close certain businesses and restrict restaurant occupancy.

The spread of COVID-19 soon slowed and has been steadily falling since the peak of the pandemic. Much of the state has hit benchmarks established by the health department that allow certain businesses to reopen under capacity restrictions and other regulations.

The rolling seven-day average for newly reported cases was 525.71 on Wednesday, according to tracking by The Associated Press, near the lowest it’s been since early June.

The seven-day average of newly reported deaths was 30, near the lowest since late June.

The seven-day average for new cases peaked July 6 at 3,844, and the stat for deaths reached a high of 94 on July 30.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, 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.

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

The Navajo Nation reported 18 new coronavirus cases and 3 additional deaths, bringing the totals to 9,933 infections and 530 fatalities.
It was status quo in Arizona COVID-19 business benchmarks update, with 12 of the state’s 15 counties remaining in opening stages.
Maricopa County continues to meet all three coronavirus benchmarks recommended for a safe return.
The Phoenix City Council has expanded the type of small businesses that could apply to be part of the Phoenix Small Business Resiliency Grants Program.
Globally, there were more than 27.9 million COVID-19 cases and 904,000 deaths as of Thursday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the U.S. were around 6.3 million cases and 190,000 deaths.

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