Arizona reports no additional coronavirus deaths, 475 new cases

Oct 12, 2020, 8:24 AM | Updated: Oct 13, 2020, 9:07 am

(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, Oct. 12.

PHOENIX – Arizona health authorities reported no additional coronavirus deaths for the second consecutive day on Monday, with 475 new cases.

Sunday and Monday COVID-19 numbers have typically been on the low side, but this was the first time since the start of the pandemic that Arizona went consecutive days without adding to the death toll.

The state’s documented totals are now 226,050 COVID-19 infections and 5,759 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Key metrics about the severity of Arizona’s pandemic have dropped dramatically since peaking during the summer.

After declining for three consecutive days, the number of Arizona’s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital inpatients rose by 37 to 667 on Sunday.

The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds increased by 11 overnight to 155, just below the highest level of the past month.

The hospitalization numbers are far below the pandemic peaks of 3,517 inpatients and 970 ICU patients, both recorded July 13.

Arizona’s weekly percent positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic testing has been at 4% each of the past six weeks, with 68,803 tests recorded 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.

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 the state health department’s newly reported cases was 688.71 through Sunday, according to tracking by The Associated Press. That’s the highest since Sept. 23, but it’s far below the peak of 3,844 on July 6.

The seven-day average of newly reported deaths fell to 7.57, matching the lowest level since April 12 – six months ago. The death average topped out at 94 on July 30.

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. All of Arizona’s counties have 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:

In a letter sent to parents, Arcadia High School said the Maricopa County Public Health Department identified an outbreak at the school. The letter said that those who were in close contact would be notified.
The Navajo Nation reported 30 new coronavirus cases and six additional deaths on Monday, bringing the documented totals to 10,728 infections and 571 deaths.
President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail Monday for the first time since contracting the coronavirus as he tries to stage a late comeback in the election’s final stretch.
Arizona State University President Michael Crow is urging county officials not to the lift face mask mandate in the Phoenix area.
University of Arizona officials are encouraging students to travel away from campus for Thanksgiving and finish the fall semester remotely.
Mesa Public Schools, which serves more than 63,000 students at 70-plus campuses, increased it’s in-person instruction to a five-day schedule.
San Tan Foothills High School will remain closed for onsite learning and activities through at least Oct. 21 after a cluster of coronavirus cases were identified.
Globally, there were more than 37.59 million COVID-19 cases and 1.07 million deaths as of Monday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the U.S. were around 7.76 million cases and 214,000 deaths.