Arizona reports 666 new coronavirus cases, 1 additional death
Nov 2, 2020, 8:28 AM | Updated: Nov 3, 2020, 8:04 am
(Photo by Cengiz Yar/Getty Images)
(Photo by Cengiz Yar/Getty Images)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for Monday, Nov. 2.
PHOENIX – Arizona health authorities reported 666 new coronavirus cases and one additional death on Monday morning.
That put the state’s documented totals at 248,139 COVID-19 infections and 5,982 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
It was the first day since last Monday with fewer than 1,000 new cases.
Key metrics about the severity of Arizona’s pandemic have dropped dramatically from summertime peaks, but cases and hospitalizations have been trending upward over the last month.
RELATED STORIES
The number of Arizona’s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital inpatients rose overnight to 918 on Sunday. That was 56.7% higher than Oct. 1, when it was 586, and the most since Aug. 25.
The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds increased to 231, 84.8% higher than Oct. 1, when it was 125, and the most since Sept. 3.
The hospitalizations remain far under the pandemic highs of 3,517 inpatients and 970 ICU patients, both recorded July 13.
RELATED STORIES
Arizona’s weekly percent positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, an indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, reached its highest level in two months.
It was 7% for 75,411 tests recorded from last week, which would be the highest since it was 8% for the week starting Aug. 2.
The rate 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 rolling seven-day average for the state health department’s newly reported cases was at 1,330 for Sunday, according to tracking by The Associated Press, the highest since Aug. 7. The average was 480 on Oct. 1.
The seven-day average of newly reported deaths had been relatively stable but surged following Saturday’s single-day report of 45 deaths. It was 15.29 for Sunday, more than doubling in the past week, but it was still below the mark of 16.43 on Oct. 1.
The seven-day averages remain well below their peaks of 3,844 cases on July 6 and 94 fatalities on July 30.
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 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 slowed after those steps were taken. All of Arizona’s counties have since hit benchmarks established by the health department that allow closed 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:
- The Navajo Nation reported 47 new coronavirus cases and three additional deaths, bringing the documented totals to 11,875 infections and 584 fatalities.
- The University of Arizona athletics’ department will cut 21 full-time positions and 15 previously-frozen positions to help overcome financial difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Maricopa High School announced Monday it will temporarily shift to virtual learning because of the number of teachers and staff that are quarantined from coronavirus. The school plans to resume in-person learning on Nov. 16.
- Globally, there were more than 46.63 million COVID-19 cases and 1.2 million deaths as of Monday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the U.S. were around 9.2 million cases and 231,000 deaths.
