Arizona reports 683 new COVID-19 cases and 8 new known deaths as hospitalizations remain stable

Arizona reported 683 new COVID-19 cases and eight new known deaths on Tuesday as hospital metrics for the disease continue to remain relatively stable.

Identified cases rose to 226,734 and known deaths are at 5,767, according to the daily report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. 

The number of patients hospitalized statewide for known or suspected COVID-19 cases was at 706 on Monday, up from 667 on Sunday, 630 on Saturday, 685 on Friday and the same as Thursday. At the peak of Arizona's surge in July, the number of hospitalized patients suspected or confirmed to have the virus exceeded 3,000.

The number of patients with suspected or known COVID-19 in intensive care units across Arizona was at 146 on Monday, down from 155 on Sunday. The number has hovered between 114 and 156 since Sept. 14. The level is far below what it was in July, when ICU beds in use for COVID-19 reached 970.

The number of Arizonans with confirmed and suspected COVID-19 on ventilators was at 88 on Monday, the most since Sept. 11. The metric has increased slightly every day for six consecutive days, up to and including Monday. In mid-July, as many as 687 patients across the state with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 were on ventilators. 

Tuesday's dashboard shows 83% of inpatient beds and 82% of ICU beds in use, which includes people being treated for COVID-19 and other patients. COVID-19 patients were using 8% of all inpatient beds and 9% of ICU beds. Overall, 26% of ventilators were in use.

The number of weekly tests conducted dropped significantly in July and into August, after which it began to increase somewhat through September and into October.

Of known test results from the past six weeks, 4% have come back positive, according to the state, which has a unique way of calculating percent positivity.

Johns Hopkins University calculates Arizona's seven-day moving average of percent positives at 7% and shows it has reached a relative plateau.

A positivity rate of 5% is considered a good benchmark that the spread of the disease is under control.

ADHS has begun including probable cases as anyone with a positive antigen test, another type of test to determine current infection. Antigen tests (not related to antibody tests) are a newer type of COVID-19 diagnostic test that use a nasal swab or another fluid sample to test for current infection. Results are typically produced within 15 minutes. 

A positive antigen test result is considered very accurate, but there's an increased chance of false-negative results, the Mayo Clinic says. Depending on the situation, Mayo Clinic officials say a doctor may recommend a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test to confirm a negative antigen test result.

Here's what you need to know about Tuesday's new numbers:

Reported cases in Arizona: 226,734

Cases increased by 683, or 0.3%, from Monday's 226,050 identified cases since the outbreak began.

Cases by county: 147,010 in Maricopa, 26,516 in Pima, 13,089 in Yuma, 11,123 in Pinal, 5,923 in Navajo, 4,529 in Coconino, 4,096 in Mohave, 3,708 in Apache, 2,922 in Santa Cruz, 2,721 in Yavapai, 1,972 in Cochise, 1,537 in Gila, 951 in Graham, 572 in La Paz and 64 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.

The rate of cases per 100,000 people is highest in Yuma County, followed by Santa Cruz, Navajo and Apache counties. The rate in Yuma County is 5,692 cases per 100,000 people. By comparison, the U.S. average rate is 2,339 cases per 100,000 people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Navajo Nation reported 10,728 cases and 571 confirmed deaths as of Monday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The Arizona Department of Corrections said 2,599 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday, including 985 in Tucson; 40,290 inmates statewide have been tested; and one total test result is pending in the state prison system. A total of 712 prison staff members have self-reported testing positive, the state corrections department said. Seventeen incarcerated people in Arizona have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, with 11 additional deaths under investigation. 

While race/ethnicity is unknown for 30% of cases statewide, 31% of cases are Hispanic or Latino, 26% are white, 6% are Native American, 3% are Black and 1% are Asian/Pacific Islander.

Laboratories have completed 1,581,151 diagnostic tests for COVID-19, 10.6% of which have come back positive. That number now includes both PCR and antigen testing. The percentage of positive tests had increased since mid-May but began decreasing in July and for the past six weeks has been at 4%. The state numbers leave out data from labs that do not report electronically.

Arizona, as of Monday, had one of the highest overall rates of COVID-19 infection in the country — 10th behind Louisiana, North Dakota, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, South Dakota, Tennessee, Iowa and Georgia, according to the CDC. Arizona's infection rate is 3,145 cases per 100,000 people, the CDC says. The national average is 2,339 cases per 100,000 people, though the rates in states hard-hit early on in the pandemic may be an undercount due to a lack of available testing in March and April.

Reported deaths: 5,767 known deaths

On Tuesday, eight new known deaths were reported.

County deaths: 3,471 in Maricopa, 633 in Pima, 348 in Yuma, 236 in Navajo, 228 in Mohave, 212 in Pinal, 166 in Apache, 145 in Coconino, 86 in Yavapai, 73 in Cochise, 64 in Santa Cruz, 61 in Gila, 26 in Graham, 16 in La Paz and fewer than three in Greenlee.

People aged 65 and older made up 4,096 of the 5,767 deaths, or 71%.

While race/ethnicity is unknown for 11% of deaths, 42% of those who died were white, 30% were Hispanic or Latino, 11% were Native American, 3% were Black and 1% were Asian/Pacific Islander, the state data show.

The global death toll on Tuesday was 1,081,951 and the U.S. had the highest death count of any country in the world, at 215,251, according to Johns Hopkins University. Arizona's death total of 5,767 deaths represents 2.7% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. as of Tuesday.

The COVID-19 death rate in Arizona was 80 per 100,000 people as of Monday, according to the CDC, putting it 10th in the country in a state ranking that separates New York City and New York state. The U.S. average is 65 deaths per 100,000 people, the CDC says.

Behind New York City, at 284 deaths per 100,000 people, the CDC placed the highest death rates ahead of Arizona as New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Mississippi, the District of Columbia and New York state.

Reach the reporter at Alison.Steinbach@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.

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