Arizona reports fewer than 3,000 new COVID cases, adds 20 deaths

PHOENIX – Arizona health officials on Thursday reported fewer than 3,000 new COVID-19 cases for the third time in the past four days.

With 2,911 new cases and 20 additional deaths, the state’s documented totals increased to 1,326,908 infections and 23,344 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services’ COVID-19 dashboard.

The state reported more than 3,000 new cases for 12 consecutive days prior to Monday.

Meanwhile, the levels of COVID-related hospitalizations are showing signs of stabilizing at a time when hospitals across the state are wrestling with space and staffing shortages.

The number of confirmed or suspected COVID inpatients was 2,683 on Wednesday, down 40 from the previous day and the fewest since Dec. 1. It was the sixth time in seven days with an overnight decrease of COVID inpatients, although the level remains near the top of the ongoing delta wave.

ICU use for COVID patients was at 691 beds, the same as the previous day and the fifth consecutive day without an increase.

Remaining hospital capacity fell to pandemic-low levels last week, dropping to 392 beds (4% of capacity) statewide for inpatients on Dec. 8 and 68 for ICUs (4% of capacity) on Saturday. On Wednesday, available space was reported at 468 inpatient beds (5% of capacity) and 85 ICU beds (5% of capacity).

COVID patients took up 30% of state’s inpatient beds and 39% of the ICU beds on Wednesday.

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

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

Banner Health, the state’s largest hospital network, reported this week 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 state dashboard on Thursday showed 68.1% of Arizonans old enough to get vaccinated have received at least one shot, with 58.1% fully vaccinated. That trails the national rates of 76.8% of age-eligible residents with at least one dose and 65% 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.

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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