Arizona reports 1,476 new coronavirus cases, adds zero deaths

Nov 16, 2020, 8:25 AM | Updated: 8:14 pm

(Photo by Mario Tama/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. 16.

PHOENIX – Arizona health authorities on Monday reported 1,476 new coronavirus cases with no additional deaths.

That put the state’s documented totals at 276,912 COVID-19 infections and 6,302 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Coming out of the weekend, Monday’s COVID-19 reports have generally seen lower numbers than other days of the week. Zero deaths were reported last Monday, too.

Key pandemic metrics have been rising in Arizona at a rate not seen since the first wave hit in June and July. Cases have been surging since the beginning of October.

The number of Arizona’s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital inpatients increased overnight to 1,557 on Sunday. That’s 70% higher than Nov. 1, when it was 918, and the most since Aug. 10.

The number of COVID-19 inpatients peaked July 13 at 3,517 and fell afterward as low as 468 on Sept. 27.

The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds increased to 374 on Sunday, 62% above the Nov. 1 mark of 231 and the most since Aug. 19.

The number of COVID-19 patients in ICU beds peaked July 13 at 970 and fell afterward as low as 114 on Sept. 22.

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 more than three months.

The positivity rate is 10% for 88,030 tests given last week that have been recorded, the highest since it was the same mark for the week starting July 26.

The weekly rate peaked at 20% at the end of June and was down to 4% as recently as early October.

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 2,310.29 for Sunday, according to tracking by The Associated Press. That’s 74% higher than the Nov. 1 mark of 1,330 and the highest average since Aug. 6.

The seven-day case average peaked July 6 at 3,844 and fell afterward as low as 373.14 on Sept. 12.

The seven-day average of newly reported deaths was 19.71 on Sunday. It’s been trending lower over the last week but is 29% higher than Nov. 1 and triple the figure from one month earlier.

The seven-day death average peaked July 30 at 94 and fell afterward as low as 5.57 on Oct. 14.

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.

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 197 new cases and one recent death, bringing the documented totals to 13,596 infections and 603 fatalities.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez is hopeful the newly instituted three week stay-at-home order will help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
President-elect Joe Biden on Monday warned of dire consequences if President Donald Trump and his administration continue to refuse to coordinate with his transition team on the coronavirus pandemic and block briefings on national security, policy issues and vaccine plans.
President-elect Joe Biden outlined his plans to alleviate economic inequality and boost the U.S. economy but said any structural reforms depend first on reining in the coronavirus pandemic.
The Scottsdale Unified School District is looking to hire a full-time specialist to focus on issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko of Arizona said she will undergo a 14-day quarantine after being in contact with a person who later tested positive for COVID-19.
Moderna said its COVID-19 vaccine is proving to be highly effective in a major trial, a second dash of hope in the global race for a shot to tame a resurgent virus that is now killing more than 8,000 people a day worldwide. The company said its vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective.
Globally, there were more than 54.51 million COVID-19 cases and 1.31 million deaths as of Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University research. The figures for the U.S. were around 11.04 million cases and 246,000 deaths.