Arizona reports 3,893 new coronavirus cases, 55 more deaths

PHOENIX –  The Arizona Department of Health Services added 3,893 cases and 55 deaths to its COVID-19 dashboard on Saturday, pushing the totals to 1,005,764 infections and 18,779 fatalities.

Arizona became the 13th state to reach 1 million documented cases on Friday after its first confirmed case of the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus on Jan. 26, 2020.

The state crossed 800,000 cases in early February and took six months to hit 900,000 in June. However, with the more-contagious delta variant, the next 100,000 cases came over the course of just seven weeks.

Hospitalizations related to the virus have nearly quadrupled since the state’s third wave started in early July. People who aren’t fully vaccinated now account for almost all of the serious illnesses and deaths.

The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in the state’s hospitals decreased by 14 overnight to 1,982 on Friday.

The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients went up by four to 495, tied for the most since Feb. 20.

The dashboard also showed that 4,005,841 people (55.7% of the state’s population, based on 7,189,020 residents) have received at least one dose of vaccine in Arizona and 3,517,935 people are fully vaccinated (48.9% of the population). The nationwide rates are 61.3% with at least one dose and 52% fully vaccinated, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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.

Free federally authorized vaccines are widely available and highly effective in preventing illness from COVID-19, including the more contagious delta variant that now accounts for most of the new cases in the U.S.

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.

The minimum age to receive the Pfizer shot is 12, and it’s 18 for the other available versions, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

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 ADHS website.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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