(Photo from the University of Arizona)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information on the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for February 18, 2021.
PHOENIX – Arizona officials on Thursday reported 1,143 new cases of coronavirus and 213 additional deaths from COVID-19.
It was the sixth consecutive day with fewer than 2,000 new cases, but the highest death rate since February 9.
The state’s updated documented total was 802,198 coronavirus infections and 15,276 deaths, according to the COVID-19 dashboard of the Arizona Department of Health.
After rising to a record high in the first part of January, the number of cases and hospitalizations dropped to before the Thanksgiving level in Arizona.
The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in state hospitals dropped to 1823 on Wednesday, the lowest since November 18th. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients has decreased to 566, the lowest since November 27th.
Arizona’s weekly percentage of positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic tests, an indication of how much the virus is spreading in the community, has been declining since the beginning of the year.
Of the 16,336 people tested so far this week, 10% received a positive result. The rate was 9%, the lowest in almost four months, for 90,955 people tested last week.
Official positivity rates are based on when the samples are taken, not when they are reported, so the percentage for recent weeks may vary as laboratories are caught up in the test and the results are documented by the state.
According to the Associated Press, the Associated Press, the lowest point since Nov. 9, the seven-day average for the newly reported coronavirus cases was 1,687.14 for Wednesday.
The average of seven days of newly reported deaths has remained stubborn since the beginning of February, but two days of steep declines dropped to 85.86 on Wednesday. That’s less than half the pandemic record seen a month ago, and for the first time since Jan. 4, it was below the July high of Arizona’s first wave.
In Wednesday’s update of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona remained third in the country for COVID-19 deaths per capita over the past seven days, but was in cases up to 19th.
The Arizona Department of Health’s daily updates provide the case, death, and testing data after the state receives and confirms statistics, which can be delayed by a few days or longer. It does not represent the actual activity during the last 24 hours.
The hospital data posted each morning is electronically reported the night before by hospitals across the state, as required by executive order.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, has no effect on some people and is severely debilitating or deadly to others. Infected people without symptoms – which include coughing, fever and breathing problems – can spread the virus.
Diagnostic tests are available in hundreds of locations in Arizona and should be sought by someone with symptoms or who has been exposed to an infected person. Information on places, schedules and registration can be found on the website of the Department of Health Services.
For information on the availability of vaccines across the country, the ADHD website has a vaccine finder page with a map with locations and registration information.
Below are Thursday’s latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic from across the state, country and world:
- The Navajo Nation reported 43 new cases of coronavirus and 13 additional deaths, bringing the documented total to 29,386 infections – including seven delayed cases – and 1,127 deaths.
- Some, but not all, of the Arizona weather-delayed COVID-19 vaccines are on their way to the state, authorities said.
- U.S. Senator Mark Kelly said KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Morning News in Arizona to follow up a request to the federal government for resources to test migrants at the border for COVID-19.
- According to Arizona’s COVID-19 dashboard, the vaccine administration is on track to fully consume the state’s available inventory as soon as Friday. But the numbers can be misleading.
- According to the Arizona Department of Health Services dashboard, 1,339,829 of the 1,395,300 COVID-19 vaccine doses awarded were administered, an increase of 48,776 from the previous day. More than 1 million people have now received at least one shot in Arizona.
- The vaccination site COVID-19 of the University of Arizona is now officially a state-run operation. The initial round of 12,000 appointments was quickly filled earlier this week.
- Worldwide, there were approximately 110.02 million COVID-19 cases and 2.43 million deaths as of Thursday morning, according to research by Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the US were about 27.83 million cases and 490,000 deaths.