(AP Photo / Bernat Armangue)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information on the coronavirus and its impact on Arizona and beyond for February 6, 2021.
PHOENIX – Arizona health officials on Saturday reported 3,471 new cases of coronavirus and 63 additional deaths from COVID-19.
According to the Arizona COVID-19 dashboard, the numbers drawn total moved to 779,093 infections and 14,011 deaths.
The virus remains widespread across the state, though the boom that made Arizona as the country’s hotspot last month is waning.
In Friday’s update of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona has dropped to No. 5 in the country on average per capita over the past seven days. Arizona is fourth in deaths behind Indiana, Alabama and Iowa.
COVID-19 hospitalizations are now lower than at the July peak of the state’s first wave, but cases and deaths are still higher.
The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in Arizona dropped to 3,060 on Friday, the lowest since December 6th. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients has dropped to 849, the lowest since December 13th.
Across the country, COVID-19 patients admitted 35% of all beds and 47% of all ICU beds on Wednesday. Overall, indoor beds were 90% of capacity and ICU beds 88%.
Arizona’s weekly percentage positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic tests, an indication of how much the virus is spreading in the community, is declining but remains at a significant level.
Of the 62,465 people tested so far this week, 13% received a positive result. The recorded positive rate for last week is 16% for 125,908 people tested, the lowest since before Thanksgiving and the fourth consecutive weekly decline.
Official positivity rates are based on taking the samples, not when they are reported, so the percentage for recent weeks may vary if laboratories are caught up in the test and the results are documented by the state.
According to the Associated Press, the Associated Press, the seven-day average for the recently reported cases of coronavirus is at 3,826, but still higher than the July high of the first wave.
The seven-day average of newly reported deaths dropped after climbing four days in a row on Friday, to 132.29.
The state’s daily updates provide current case, death, and testing data after the state receives and confirms statistics, which may 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 under 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.
The department also has a vaccination finder page with a map with locations and registration information.
Below are Saturday’s latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic from across the state, country and world:
- Worldwide, there were approximately 105.49 million COVID-19 cases and 2.3 million deaths as of Saturday morning, according to research by Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the US were about 26.81 million cases and 459,617 deaths.