Arizona reports 273 new coronavirus cases, 1 additional death
Sep 28, 2020, 8:22 AM | Updated: 9:29 pm
(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Loccisano/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. 28.
PHOENIX – Arizona health authorities reported 273 new coronavirus cases and one more death on Monday morning.
That put the state’s documented totals at 217,510 COVID-19 infections and 5,623 fatalities, 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 468 on Sunday, the fewest since early April.
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The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds dipped to 115, the second-lowest mark recorded during the pandemic.
COVID-19 inpatients peaked at 3,517 on July 13, and COVID-19 patients in ICU beds topped out at 970 the same day.
Arizona’s weekly percent positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic testing has been at 4% for past four weeks, with 56,967 tests completed last week.
The positivity rate, an indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, had been as high as 20% at the end of June.
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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 hospitalization data posted each morning, however, is reported the previous evening by the hospitals.
The rolling seven-day average for newly reported cases was 459.86 through Sunday, according to tracking by The Associated Press, the lowest since Sept. 15 and among the lowest since late May.
The seven-day average of newly reported cases peaked at 3,844 on July 6.
The seven-day average of newly reported deaths was relatively steady at 22.14 through Sunday, well below the July 30 peak of 94.
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.
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 reported 51 new coronavirus cases among students and faculty in an update provided Monday but overall active cases continue to decline at the university.
- The Navajo Nation reported 22 new coronavirus cases and no recent deaths, bringing the documented totals to 10,312 infections and 555 deaths.
- President Donald Trump announced Monday that the federal government will begin distributing millions of rapid coronavirus tests to states this week and urged governors to use them to reopen schools for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
- The University of Arizona is set to lift a shelter-in-place recommendation as coronavirus cases have decreased and compliance with public health guidance has improved.
- Globally, there were more than 32.1 million COVID-19 cases and 998,000 deaths as of Monday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the U.S. were around 7.1 million cases and 204,000 deaths.
