Arizona reports 1,143 new COVID-19 cases, 213 more deaths Thursday

Feb 18, 2021, 8:24 AM | Updated: 7:47 pm

(University of Arizona Photo)

This is a regularly updated story with the latest information about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for Feb. 18, 2021.

PHOENIX – Arizona officials on Thursday reported 1,143 new coronavirus cases and 213 additional deaths from COVID-19.

It was the sixth consecutive day with fewer than 2,000 new cases, but the highest death report since Feb. 9.

The state’s updated documented totals were 802,198 coronavirus infections and 15,276 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services’ COVID-19 dashboard.

After spiking to record highs in the first part of January, case and hospitalization numbers have fallen to pre-Thanksgiving levels in Arizona.

The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in the state’s hospitals fell to 1,823 on Wednesday, the fewest since Nov. 18. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients declined to 566, the fewest since Nov. 27.

Arizona’s weekly percent positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, an indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, has been trending downward since the start of the year.

Of the 16,336 people tested so far this week, 10% received a positive result. The rate was 9%, the lowest in nearly four months, for 90,955 people tested last week.

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 seven-day average for the state health department’s newly reported coronavirus cases was 1,687.14 for Wednesday, according to tracking by The Associated Press, the lowest mark since Nov. 9.

The seven-day average of newly reported deaths had remained stubbornly high since the start of February, but two days of steep drops sent it down to 85.86 for Wednesday. That’s less than half of the pandemic record seen one month ago and the first time since Jan. 4 it was lower than the July peak of Arizona’s first wave.

In Wednesday’s update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona remained third in the nation for COVID-19 deaths per capita over the last seven days but was down to 19th in cases.

The Arizona health department’s daily updates 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 electronically the previous evening by hospitals across the state, as required under executive order.

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.

Diagnostic testing is available at hundreds of locations across Arizona and should be sought out by anybody with symptoms or who may have been exposed to an infected person. Information about locations, schedules and registration can be found on the Department of Health Services website.

For information about statewide vaccine availability, the ADHS website has a vaccine-finder page with a map of locations and information about registration.

Below are Thursday’s latest developments about the coronavirus pandemic from around the state, country and world:

The Navajo Nation reported 43 new coronavirus cases and 13 additional deaths, bringing the documented totals to 29,386 infections – including seven delayed cases– and 1,127 fatalities.
Some, but not all, of Arizona’s weather-delayed COVID-19 vaccine shipments are on their way to the state, authorities said.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News to follow up on a request to the federal government for resources to test migrants at the border for COVID-19.
According to Arizona’s COVID-19 dashboard, vaccine administration is on pace to fully consume the state’s available supply as soon as Friday. But the numbers can be misleading.
The Arizona Department of Health Services dashboard says that 1,339,829 of the state’s 1,395,300 allocated COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 48,776 from the previous day’s update. More than 1 million people have now received at least one shot in Arizona.
The University of Arizona’s COVID-19 vaccination site is now officially a state-run operation. The initial round of 12,000 appointments was quickly filled earlier this week.
Globally, there were about 110.02 million COVID-19 cases and 2.43 million deaths as of Thursday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University research. The figures for the U.S. were around 27.83 million cases and 490,000 deaths.