Arizona reports 1,039 new COVID-19 cases, no additional deaths Monday
Mar 1, 2021, 8:25 AM | Updated: 5:37 pm
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for March 1, 2021.
PHOENIX – Arizona public health officials on Monday reported 1,039 new coronavirus cases and no additional deaths from COVID-19.
The state’s documented totals were updated to 817,821 coronavirus infections and 15,979 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services’ COVID-19 dashboard.
One death was removed from the total because of death certificate matching, the department said.
Many of the metrics used to gauge the severity of the pandemic are the lowest they’ve been since November or earlier.
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The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in the state’s hospitals decreased to 1,241 on Sunday, the fewest since Nov. 8. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients fell to 382, the fewest since Nov. 15.
Arizona’s weekly percent positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, an indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, is at a four-month low.
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Of the 70,393 people tested last week, 7% received a positive result, the lowest rate since mid-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 seven-day average for the state health department’s newly reported coronavirus cases has plateaued over the last week and was 1,259.29 for Sunday, according to tracking by The Associated Press, the lowest recorded weekly average since Oct. 30.
The seven-day average of newly reported deaths was 79.67 for Sunday, down slightly from the previous day and the fourth-lowest mark of the year.
After leading the nation in both categories earlier this year, Arizona now ranks in the middle of the pack among states for the rate of new cases but remains near the top in deaths.
In Sunday’s update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona was fifth in the nation for COVID-19 deaths per capita over the last seven days and 23rd 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 Monday’s latest developments about the coronavirus pandemic from around the state, country and world:
- The Navajo Nation reported 12 new coronavirus cases and no additional deaths, bringing the documented totals to 29,754 infections and 1,170 fatalities.
- The first batch of appointments for the new state-run COVID-19 vaccination operation in Chandler were filled in about 90 minutes.
- Arizona announced another leap forward in its vaccination calendar Monday, opening eligibility at two state-run sites for anyone 55 years of age or older.
- The Arizona Department of Health Services reported that 1,817,818 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, a day-over-day increase of 41,201, with 1,226,443 people having received at least one shot.
- Globally, there were about 114.22 million COVID-19 cases and 2.53 million deaths as of Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University research. The figures for the U.S. were around 28.61 million cases and 513,000 deaths.
