Arizona reports 603 new COVID-19 cases, 6 additional deaths Wednesday

PHOENIX – Arizona public health officials on Wednesday reported 603 new coronavirus cases and six additional deaths from COVID-19.

The latest documented totals were 860,772 COVID-19 infections and 17,282 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 jumped by seven to 622 on Tuesday. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients increased by five to 190.

The dashboard also showed that 4,926,816 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, with 2,893,584 people (40.3% of the state’s population) having received at least one shot and 2,186,715 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.

Anyone can walk in to a state-run site and receive a shot without an appointment.

Appointments can still be booked online at https://podvaccine.azdhs.gov/ or by calling 844-542-8201.

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.

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