Arizona reports 1,945 new COVID-19 cases, 21 more deaths Wednesday

PHOENIX – Arizona public health officials on Wednesday reported 1,945 new COVID-19 cases and 21 additional deaths from the virus.

The latest batch included a backlog of cases from the past two days that were delayed by an electronic reporting issue, the Arizona Department of Health Services said, resulting in the largest daily increase since early March.

Today’s #COVID19 dashboard adds 1,945 cases and 21 deaths. The higher number of cases results from resolving an electronic reporting issue that lowered case numbers the past two days. Visit https://t.co/c36t1o5ZUP to review the COVID-19 data dashboards for more information. pic.twitter.com/8reFEIrsgx

— AZ Dept of Health (@AZDHS) July 14, 2021

Hospitalizations related to COVID-19, meanwhile, continue rising to levels not seen in months, with unvaccinated people accounting for most of the serious illnesses, according to health officials.

The latest documented totals were 903,851 infections and 18,076 fatalities, according to the ADHS COVID-19 dashboard.

The dashboard also showed that 6,640,364 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, with 3,645,085 people (50.7% of the state’s population) having received at least one shot and 3,236,843 people fully vaccinated.

Hospitalizations have been fluctuating by relatively small amounts on a day-to-day basis but have been trending upward this month. The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in the state’s hospitals increased by 26 overnight to 669 on Tuesday, the most since May 5. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients went up by five to 188, the most since May 17.

The percent positivity for diagnostic testing last week was 9% as of Monday’s update, the highest since February.

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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