Arizona reports 2,659 new coronavirus cases, no additional deaths

Nov 23, 2020, 8:28 AM | Updated: 6:04 pm

(Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)

This is a regularly updated story with the latest information about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for Nov. 23, 2020.

PHOENIX – Arizona health authorities on Monday reported 2,659 new coronavirus cases with no additional deaths.

That put the state’s documented totals at 302,324 COVID-19 infections and 6,464 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Coming out of the weekend, Monday’s COVID-19 reports have generally come with lower numbers than other days of the week. It was the third consecutive Monday with zero deaths reported but the highest Monday case report since July 6.

Overall, 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 and are approaching record levels.

The number of Arizona’s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital inpatients was 2,008 on Sunday, more than doubling since the start of November and surpassing 2,000 for the first time since Aug. 3.

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 was 469 on Sunday, more than doubling since the start of November and the most since Aug. 13.

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 four months.

The positivity rate was 12% for the 119,036 tests reported last week, the highest since it was 12% for the week starting July 19.

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 3,461.29 for Sunday, according to tracking by The Associated Press, after doubling over the last two weeks. The average is the highest it’s been since July 12 and just a few hundred shy of the pandemic record.

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

Unlike the case numbers, the seven-day average of newly reported deaths has been relatively stable in recent weeks. It was at 23.14 on Sunday, about a quarter of the pandemic’s high mark.

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.

Information about testing locations can be found on the Arizona Department of Health Services website.

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 no recent deaths, bringing the documented totals to 15,236 infections and 631 fatalities.
The former U.S. Surgeon General said Monday that the surge of coronavirus cases coupled with depleting resources is problematic for Arizona.
The Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund is running short on food and other supplies, prompting officials to ask for donations in the midst of a wave of cases.
The Apache Junction Unified School District, which has five campuses, voted to move to online-only instruction Nov. 30-Jan. 18 after two COVID-19 benchmarks moved into the substantial range.
XpresSpa Group, a New York-based health and wellness company, unveiled a coronavirus testing site called XpresCheck at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said late-stage trials showed its coronavirus vaccine was up to 90% effective, giving public health officials hope they may soon have access to a vaccine that is cheaper and easier to distribute than some of its rivals.
Globally, there were more than 58.77 million COVID-19 cases and 1.39 million deaths as of Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University research. The figures for the U.S. were around 12.25 million cases and 257,000 deaths.

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