Arizona reports 3,022 new COVID-19 cases, no additional deaths Monday

PHOENIX – Arizona health officials reported 3,022 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and no additional deaths from the virus.

Today’s #COVID19 dashboard update adds 3,022 cases and no deaths. COVID-19 vaccine booster doses are recommended for fully vaccinated individuals ages 18 and older. Boost your protection by finding provider at https://t.co/q2kfD0sU6i. Learn more: https://t.co/it9DREvMPg pic.twitter.com/dKWXWDC2tv

— AZ Dept of Health (@AZDHS) December 6, 2021

The Arizona Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard showed documented pandemic totals of 1,295,076 cases and 22,589 deaths after Monday’s update.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID hospitalizations in the state reached a 10-month high.

The dashboard showed Arizona hospitals with 2,760 confirmed or suspected COVID inpatients on Sunday, 45 more than the previous day and the most since Feb. 7.

ICU usage for COVID patients was at 673 beds, down two from the previous day but near top of the current wave.

Arizona’s COVID hospitalizations surged this past summer, when the highly transmissible delta variant became the dominant version of the virus, and tailed off after a mid-September peak. They started rising again in October and are now more than halfway to the high marks of last winter’s wave.

COVID patients accounted for 31% of all Arizona’s inpatient capacity and 38% of the state’s ICU capacity on Sunday. The number of unused hospital beds statewide was at 507 for inpatients and 98 for ICUs.

Thirteen percent of the completed diagnostic tests for samples taken last week returned positive as of Monday’s dashboard update, down 1 point from the previous week.

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.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data for September, people not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 were 5.8 times more likely to test positive and 14 times more likely to die from the virus than fully vaccinated individuals.

The ADHS dashboard showed 67% of Arizonans old enough to get vaccinated have received at least one shot, while 57.6% of them are fully vaccinated.

Arizona trails behind the national rates of 75.5% of age-eligible residents with at least one dose and 63.7% fully vaccinated.

The minimum age to receive the Pfizer shot is 5, and it’s 18 for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The Pfizer version has full Food and Drug Administration approval, while the other two were granted emergency use authorization.

Officials are now recommending booster shots for adults who received their second Pfizer or Moderna doses more than six months ago and those who got the Johnson & Johnson shot at least two months ago.

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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