Arizona reports 345 new COVID-19 cases, 20 additional deaths Tuesday

PHOENIX – Arizona public health officials on Tuesday reported 345 new COVID-19 cases and 20 additional deaths from the virus. Hospitalizations, meanwhile, have risen to levels not seen in two months.

The new case report wasn’t complete because of an electronic reporting issue, the Arizona Department of Health Services said.

New cases added to the dashboard are lower due to an electronic reporting issue we are addressing. This likely will result in a higher number of new cases in tomorrow’s dashboard update.

— AZ Dept of Health (@AZDHS) July 13, 2021

The latest documented totals were 901,906 infections and 18,055 fatalities, according to the department’s COVID-19 dashboard.

The dashboard also showed that 6,629,334 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, with 3,639,996 people (50.6% of the state’s population) having received at least one shot and 3,231,002 people fully vaccinated.

Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have been fluctuating by relatively small amounts on a day-to-day basis but have been trending upward recently. The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in the state’s hospitals increased by 41 overnight to 643 on Monday, the most since May 6. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients went up by 18 to 183, the most since May 17.

The hospital numbers remain just a fraction of the pandemic highs seen in January, when the supply of approved vaccines was extremely limited.

Public health officials have said that nearly all the new cases and deaths are people who haven’t been 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.

Information about where to get tested for COVID-19 can be found on the Department of Health Services website.

Federally approved vaccines are highly effective in stopping the transmission of COVID-19.

For details about statewide vaccine availability, the ADHS website has a vaccine-finder page with locations and other 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.

Appointments may be required depending on the provider, but many accept walk-ins.

The minimum age to receive the Pfizer shot has been reduced to 12, but it’s still 18 for the other approved versions, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

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