Wake County Health Department employees along with nurses and volunteers from nearby hospitals and emergency services assist during a drive-by vaccination COVID-19 at PNC arena in Raleigh, NC, Thursday, February 11, 2021. Two months after the first COVID- There are 19 shots were fired, and the race to vaccinate older Americans is drawing to a close, with more than half of states reporting that a third of those 65 and older received their first dose. (AP Photo / Gerry Broome)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information on the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for February 12, 2021.
PHOENIX – Arizona health officials reported 2,426 new cases of coronavirus and 172 additional deaths from COVID-19 on Friday.
According to the Arizona COVID-19 dashboard, the numbers drawn moved to 793,532 infections and 14,834 deaths.
The virus remains widespread across the state, though the boom that made Arizona the focus of the country last month is waning, reflecting a trend in the country.
COVID-19 hospitalizations and daily averages of cases are now lower than at the peak of July in the first wave of the state, but the death rate remains higher.
The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in Arizona dropped to 2,396 on Thursday, the lowest since November 27th. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients has dropped to 705, the lowest since December 4th.
Across the country, COVID-19 patients admitted 28% of all indoor beds and 39% of all ICU beds on Thursday. Overall, the beds were within 90% of the capacity and the amounts for the ICU were 87%.
The weekly percentage of Arizona for COVID-19 diagnostic tests, an indication of the spread of the virus in the community, has been declining every week since reaching a peak of 24% for the week beginning December 27th.
Of the 40,925 people tested so far this week, 9% got a positive result. The percentage of positivity was 12% for 109,361 people tested last week.
Official positivity rates are based on taking the samples, 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 second lowest point since November 18, averaged seven days for the newly reported coronavirus cases for 2,758.57 for Thursday.
The average of seven days of newly reported deaths has not changed much since the beginning of February and was 130 on Thursday.
In the update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Thursday, Arizona ranked fourth in the country for COVID-19 deaths per capita over the past seven days and seventh in cases.
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 100 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 more information on the availability of vaccines across the country, visit the ADHD website for a vaccine finder page with a map of locations and registration information.
Below are Friday’s latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic from across the state, country and world:
- The Navajo Nation reported 66 new cases of coronavirus and 6 additional deaths, bringing the documented total to 29,167 infections – including three delayed cases – and 1,103 deaths.
- The Phoenix Union High School District said its winter sports season, which was delayed out of precaution during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been canceled.
- Democratic U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona does not think a provision to increase the federal minimum wage to $ 15 should be included in the next COVID relief package.
- The Arizona Department of Health Services reported that 1,096,126 of the 1,220,400 COVID-19 vaccine doses awarded were administered, an increase of more than 50,000 from the previous day.
- A professor at Arizona State University says smokers are at high risk for serious consequences of COVID-19 due to damage already caused to the lungs by smoking.
- President Joe Biden has said that by the end of the summer, the US will have enough stock of the COVID-19 vaccine to vaccinate 300 million Americans.
- Worldwide, there were approximately 107.9 million COVID-19 cases and 2.37 million deaths as of Friday morning, according to research by Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the US were about 27.39 million cases and 475,000 deaths.