Arizona adds over 3,000 new COVID cases Wednesday, with 81 more deaths

PHOENIX – Arizona’s daily report of new COVID-19 cases was over 3,000 on Wednesday for the first time since the weekend, and 81 more deaths were added to the pandemic total.

Today’s #COVID19 dashboard update adds 3,249 cases and 81 deaths. Everyone 5 and older is eligible for safe, free and highly effective COVID-19 vaccination. Kids can get very sick from COVID-19 and also can spread it to more vulnerable people. Learn more: https://t.co/jWjDu84ckS pic.twitter.com/VdkVnL7XXC

— AZ Dept of Health (@AZDHS) December 15, 2021

With 3,249 new cases, the state’s documented totals were up to 1,323,997 infections and 23,324 deaths, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services’ COVID-19 dashboard.

The new case report was below 3,000 on Monday and Tuesday after eclipsing that mark the previous 12 days.

The number of COVID-related hospitalizations dipped Tuesday, a welcome development at a time when hospitals across the state are wrestling with capacity shortages.

The number of confirmed or suspected COVID inpatients was 2,723 on Tuesday, down 41 from the previous day. It was the fifth time in six days with an overnight decrease of COVID inpatients, although the levels remain near the top of the ongoing delta wave.

ICU use for COVID patients declined for the fourth consecutive day to 691 beds, down four from the previous day.

Remaining hospital capacity fell to pandemic-low levels in the past week, dropping to 392 beds (4% of capacity) statewide for inpatients on Dec. 8 and 68 for ICUs (4% of capacity) on Saturday. On Tuesday, available space was reported at 486 inpatient beds (6% of capacity) and 88 ICU beds (5% of capacity).

COVID patients took up 31% of state’s inpatient beds and 39% of the ICU beds on Tuesday.

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 steadily again in October.

ADHS released new data last week showing that Arizonans who aren’t fully vaccinated against COVID-19 were nearly four times more likely than those who are to test positive in October and over 15 times more likely to die from the virus.

#COVID19 vaccines continue to prove their effectiveness. In October, Arizonans who weren’t vaccinated were 15.2 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who were fully vaccinated and nearly four times more likely to test positive. Learn more: https://t.co/iL00X3xbU3 pic.twitter.com/GnHq1pW3IR

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

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

Banner Health, the state’s largest hospital network, reported Tuesday that 88% of its COVID ICU patients hadn’t been vaccinated.

Dr. Richard Carmona, the state’s top pandemic adviser and a former U.S. surgeon general, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News last week that nearly 80% of people hospitalized with COVID were unvaccinated.

The dashboard showed 68% of Arizonans old enough to get vaccinated have received at least one shot, while 58% of them are fully vaccinated. That trails the national rates of 76.7% of age-eligible residents with at least one dose and 64.8% fully vaccinated.

On Tuesday, the U.S. surpassed the 800,000 mark for deaths from COVID-19.

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.

Health officials recommend booster shots for adults (including people 16 and older for Pfizer) 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.

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.

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