Arizona closes workweek with report of 3,691 new COVID cases, 63 deaths

PHOENIX – Arizona wrapped up a roller-coaster workweek of COVID-19 updates with the largest batch of new cases covering a single day of reporting in nearly two months.

The Arizona Department of Health Services added 3,691 new cases and 63 deaths to its COVID-19 dashboard on Friday, bringing the documented totals to 1,163,217 known infections and 21,096 fatalities.

Today’s #COVID19 dashboard update adds 3,691 cases and 63 deaths. Information on booster doses is available at https://t.co/xeP0TgNe00. If you have questions or need assistance by phone, the bilingual ADHS COVID-19 Hotline is available at 844.542.8201 (Select Option 8). pic.twitter.com/AiWvEBIU6P

— AZ Dept of Health (@AZDHS) October 29, 2021

The only times more cases were added in a day since Sept. 3 have been when the updates included reporting from multiple days because of data-processing delays.

A system issue last weekend resulted in two days this week with fewer than 1,000 newly reported cases as well as two days where deaths were subtracted from the total tally, an anomaly officials attributed to routine data cleaning.

Playing catchup after the issue was corrected, the state reported 6,299 new cases and 81 deaths on Wednesday.

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Arizona has plateaued after dropping off from the September peak of the delta variant surge.

Hospitals reported 1,718 COVID inpatients Thursday, up four from the previous day. The total has fluctuated between the mid-1,600s and upper-1,700s this month after the wave topped out above 2,100 on Sept. 11.

There were around 500 COVID inpatients before the delta surge started in July. The state’s first two waves resulted in far more hospitalizations, but they subsided after peaking just as fast as they’d risen.

The number of COVID patients in ICU beds has also fallen more slowly after peaking during the current wave than in previous ones.

Hospitals reported 463 COVID ICU patients Thursday, the most since Saturday but 110 lower than the Sept. 16 delta surge high mark.

When COVID-19 spiked last winter, the number of inpatients peaked at more than 5,000 and ICU patients eclipsed 1,800.

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 patient numbers posted each morning are reported electronically the previous evening by hospitals across the state.

The CDC recently reported that unvaccinated people were 6.1 times more likely to get infected and 11.3 times more likely to die in the month of August than people who were fully vaccinated.

Free federally authorized vaccines are widely available. The minimum age to receive the Pfizer shot is 12, and it’s 18 for the other available versions: Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Federal regulators are expected to lower the minimum age for Pfizer shots to 5 next week.

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.

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.

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