Doctor Jule Teufel stands at the bar to place a sample of throat and nose swab in a plastic vial with solution for a rapid antigen COVID-19 test for a young woman who has just left a test station in Kreuzberg district in The Lily cafe, which was otherwise temporarily closed during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, on January 29, 2021 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup / Getty Images)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information on the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for January 29, 2021.
PHOENIX – Arizona health officials reported 5,028 new cases of coronavirus and 203 additional deaths from COVID-19 on Friday.
According to the Arizona COVID-19 dashboard, the numbers drawn total moved to 748,260 infections and 13,022 deaths.
With Thursday’s update of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona has continued to lead the country per capita in average cases over the past seven days, slipping behind Alabama to No. 2 in deaths.
Key metrics indicate that the massive boom in Arizona that began in November is past its peak, reflecting national trends, but the virus is still widespread in the state.
The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in Arizona dropped to 3,970 on Thursday, the lowest since December 20th. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients has dropped to 1,002, the lowest since December 26th.
Across the country, COVID-19 patients admitted 46% of all indoor beds and 56% of all ICU beds on Thursday. Overall, 91% of the capacity’s beds and ICU beds were each.
Arizona’s weekly percentage of 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 49,788 people tested so far this week, 18% had a positive result, which would be the fourth consecutive weekly decline. For 154,860 people tested last week, the positive rate is 19%.
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 report, the second lowest point on December 31, the seven-day average for the newly reported coronavirus cases was at 6,184.29 for Thursday. The seven-day average of newly reported COVID-19 deaths decreased to 149.57.
The state’s daily updates provide the 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 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.
The department also has a vaccination finder page with a map of active and pending locations and registration information.
Below are Friday’s latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic from across the state, country and world:
- Johnson & Johnson’s long-awaited vaccine appears to protect against COVID-19 with just one shot – not as strong as some two-shot competitors, but still useful.
- Doctors in Arizona are using monoclonal antibody therapy, a new COVID-19 treatment designed to prevent the greatest risk of hospitalization.
- Worldwide, there were approximately 101.58 million COVID-19 cases and 2.19 million deaths as of Friday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the US were about 25.77 million cases and 433,000 deaths.