(AP Photo / Dmitri Lovetsky)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information on the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for January 2, 2021.
PHOENIX – Arizona health officials on Saturday reported 8,883 new cases of coronavirus and 46 additional deaths.
The numbers on Saturday bring the state’s documented totals to 539,150 COVID-19 infections and 9,061 deaths, according to the Arizona Department of Health’s dashboard.
And as was the case during December, several COVID-19 statistics in Arizona are at or near pandemic highs.
The number of confirmed or suspected patients from COVID-19 Hospital in Arizona dropped to 4,484 on Friday, compared to 4,501 on Thursday.
The number of COVID-19 patients in the state’s ICU beds rose to 1,074 on Friday.
Across the country, COVID-19 patients are suspected or confirmed, 52% of all beds took inpatient admissions, which set the record, and 61% of all ICU beds.
Overall, indoor beds and ICU beds were each 93% full. The 132 remaining ICU beds were the fifth worst of the pandemic.
The increasing tide of COVID-19 patients is squeezing the space left for other patients in Arizona’s hospitals. Banner Health, the largest hospital system in the state, said Wednesday it will suspend all elective surgery in Arizona from Friday in response to the avalanche of COVID-19 patients.
Arizona’s weekly percentage positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, an indication of how much the virus is spreading in the community, is at a record pace.
The percentage of positivity was 25% to 94,119 tests processed this week. If it holds, it will surpass the record high of 21% from last week.
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.
The seven-day moving average for the newly reported cases from the health department has been declining since the peak two weeks ago and was at 6,190.29 on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
The seven-day average of newly reported COVID-19 deaths rose this week and was 86.57 on Friday, the highest level since Christmas Eve.
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 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.
Below are Saturday’s latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic from across the state, country and world:
- Worldwide, there were approximately 84.084 million COVID-19 cases and 1.829 million deaths as of Saturday morning, according to research by Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the US were about 20,138 million cases and 347,844 deaths.