Arizona reports no coronavirus deaths with 213 new cases
Sep 14, 2020, 8:25 AM | Updated: 9:00 pm
(Getty Images)
(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 Monday, Sept. 14.
PHOENIX – Arizona health authorities reported no coronavirus deaths on Monday morning with 213 new cases.
That put the state’s documented totals at 208,725 COVID-19 infections and 5,322 deaths, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
It was the second day this month and the fifth time since the start of August that the death count didn’t increase.
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 489 on Sunday, the fewest since it was 338 on April 8, the first day AZDHS reported the statistic.
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The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds dropped to 168, the fewest since it was 155 on April 8.
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 80% full on Sunday, 1 point lower than the previous day. The inpatient occupancy rate peaked at 88% on July 9-10.
The ICU occupancy rate was 79% for the second consecutive day. ICU occupancy rate topped out at 91% on July 7.
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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 has been at 4% for the last four weeks, the lowest it’s been since the early days of the pandemic in March. It had been as high as 20% at the end of June.
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 392.29 on Sunday, according to tracking by The Associated Press, the second lowest since May 28.
The seven-day average of newly reported deaths was 17.17, the lowest since June 10.
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 Monday’s latest developments about the coronavirus pandemic from around the state, country and world:
- Arizona State University announced 85 new coronavirus cases Monday, bringing the school’s total number of positive tests among students and faculty since the start of August to 1,498.
- The University of Arizona is asking students living on or near campus to voluntarily quarantine for the next two weeks because of a rise in coronavirus positive test results.
- Arizona State University President Michael Crow has flagged multiple Mill Avenue establishments for possibly violating state-mandated COVID-19 regulations.
- New research by a University of Arizona professor shows the coronavirus has highlighted longstanding issues within nursing homes.
- Globally, there were more than 29 million COVID-19 cases and 924,000 deaths as of Monday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the U.S. were around 6.5 million cases and 194,000 deaths.
