Arizona reports 1,179 new COVID-19 cases, 70 more deaths Saturday

This is a regularly updated story with the latest information about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for Feb. 27, 2021.

PHOENIX – Arizona public health officials on Saturday reported 1,179 new coronavirus cases and 70 additional deaths from COVID-19.

The state’s documented totals were updated to 815,707 coronavirus infections and 15,967 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 decreased to 1,317 on Friday, the fewest since Nov. 9. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients fell back to 415 after seeing an uptick on Thursday, tied for the fewest since Nov. 18.

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 48,045 people tested so far this week, 7% received a positive result, which would be the lowest mark since October. The percent positivity was 9% each of the two previous weeks.

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 has plateaued over the last week and was 1,487.43 for Friday, according to tracking by The Associated Press.

The seven-day average of newly reported deaths was 79.83 for Friday, dropping back below 100 after a spike this week.

In Friday’s update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona was tied for fifth in the nation for COVID-19 deaths per capita over the last seven days and fell from 15th to 17th in cases. Arizona led the U.S. in both categories at times in January.

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

• The Navajo Nation reported seven new coronavirus cases and three additional deaths, bringing the documented totals to 29,719 infections — including three delayed reported cases — and 1,168 fatalities.
• The U.S. is getting a third vaccine to prevent COVID-19, as the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose instead of two.
• Many grocery store workers in Arizona say they’re still anxious about customers who won’t wear masks, with 1 in 5 employees affiliated with a major grocery union saying they’re worried they could be physically assaulted by a shopper as the coronavirus pandemic grinds into its second year.
• Globally, there were about 113.52 million COVID-19 cases and 2.52 million deaths as of Saturday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University research. The figures for the U.S. were around 28.49 million cases and 510,000 deaths.

Follow @KTAR923