Arizona reports 435 new coronavirus cases, adds no deaths

Nov 9, 2020, 8:26 AM | Updated: 8:45 pm

(Photo by Zuzana Gogova/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. 9.

PHOENIX – Arizona health authorities reported 435 new coronavirus cases with no additional deaths on Monday morning.

That put Arizona’s documented totals at 259,699 COVID-19 infections and 6,164 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

It was the lowest daily case report since Oct. 5 and the first day without a death since Oct. 12, but trends show the pandemic worsening in Arizona.

Key metrics have been rising at a rate not seen since the first wave hit in June and July. Cases have been surging since the beginning of October, and deaths started on the same course about three weeks later.

The number of Arizona’s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital inpatients increased overnight to 1,232 on Sunday. That’s 110% higher than Oct. 1, when it was 586, and the most since Aug. 14.

The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds increased to 292 on Sunday, 134% above the Oct. 1 mark of 125 and the most since Aug. 26.

The hospitalizations remain far under the pandemic highs of 3,517 inpatients and 970 ICU patients, both recorded July 13.

Arizona’s weekly percent positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, an indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, has reached its highest level in three months.

The weekly rate was at 9% for 87,916 tests recorded from last week, the highest since it was 10% for the week starting July 26.

The weekly rate had been as high as 20% at the end of June.

Official positivity 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 up to 1,684.43 for Sunday, according to tracking by The Associated Press, 251% higher than the Oct. 1 mark of 480 and the highest since Aug. 6.

The seven-day average of newly reported deaths moved up to 26.14 for Sunday, the highest mark since Sept. 9 and 307% above the mark of 6.43 from Oct. 26.

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 70 new coronavirus cases and one additional death, bringing the documented totals to 12,641 infections and 594 deaths.
The University of Arizona is winding down in-person classes for the fall semester and making plans for the spring. School officials said that all students who plan to take classes in person next semester must first get tested for COVDID-19.
Ben Carson, the secretary for Housing and Urban Development, is the latest member of the Trump administration to test positive for COVID-19.
President-elect Joe Biden named the members of a team of public health and science experts to develop a blueprint for fighting the coronavirus.
Pfizer Inc. said its COVID-19 vaccine may be a remarkable 90% effective, based on early and incomplete test results that nevertheless brought a big burst of optimism to a world desperate for the means to finally bring the catastrophic outbreak under control.
Globally, there were more than 50.53 million COVID-19 cases and 1.25 million deaths as of Monday morning, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the U.S. were around 9.97 million cases and 237,000 deaths.

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