Arizona reports 881 new COVID-19 cases, 23 additional deaths Thursday

PHOENIX – Arizona public health officials on Thursday reported 881 new coronavirus cases and 23 additional deaths from COVID-19.

The latest documented totals were 861,653 COVID-19 infections and 17,305 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 21 to 643 on Wednesday. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients decreased by one to 189.

The dashboard also showed that 4,970,037 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, with 2,908,644 people (40.5% 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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