Arizona reports 729 new COVID-19 cases, 22 additional deaths Saturday

PHOENIX – Arizona public health officials on Saturday reported 729 new coronavirus cases and 22 additional deaths from COVID-19.

The latest documented totals were 858,076 COVID-19 infections and 17,260 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services’ COVID-19 dashboard.

Arizona’s coronavirus-related hospitalizations have edged upward to their highest levels this month but remain just a small fraction of the pandemic peaks, according to the dashboard.

The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in the state’s hospitals decreased by two overnight to 592 on Friday. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients decreased by 13 to 174.

The dashboard also showed that 4,761,884 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, with 2,831,918 people (39.4% of the state’s population) having received at least one shot and 2,097,158 people fully vaccinated.

The state health department’s daily updates present case and death 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 numbers posted each morning are reported electronically the previous evening by hospitals across the state.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 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.

All adults across Arizona are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines, with the minimum age at 16 for the Pfizer shot and 18 for other approved versions.

For details about statewide vaccine availability, the ADHS website has a vaccine-finder page showing locations and registration information.

For information about metro Phoenix vaccine availability, Maricopa County Public Health has a locator page that lists pharmacies, government-run sites, health clinics and pop-up distribution events.

The following week’s worth of appointments for mass vaccination sites run by the state, which use Pfizer, are released every Friday at 11 a.m. Appointments can be booked online at https://podvaccine.azdhs.gov/ or by calling 844-542-8201.

The appointments at state-run sites haven’t been quickly filling like they did during the early stages of the vaccine rollout, as supply has started to meet demand.

The site at the University of Arizona in Tucson has started taking walk-ins.

Also, spots can open at any time through any provider because of cancellations and additional deliveries, so vaccine seekers should continue checking any or all of the registration options regularly.

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