Arizona reports a record number of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) who have or are suspected of having the coronavirus, announcing more than 10,000 new cases and 42 more deaths due to the virus on Sunday.
The Republic of Arizona reported Monday that the previous day 4,390 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were confirmed, significantly higher than the maximum of 3,517 observed in the summer. Some 1,007 patients suspected or confirmed of COVID-19 were in the ICU, surpassing the previous record of 970 in July.
According to the Arizona coronavirus data board, 91% of the state’s ICU beds are occupied and more than half by COVID-19 patients. There are currently less than 200 ICU beds and 1,000 non-ICU beds, the Republic reports.
Along with the record ICU patients, the number of Arizona coronavirus patients with ventilators also reached a record high on Sunday: 715.
The newspaper notes that the unusually high number of new cases reported, 10,086, is due to the state adding several days of cases at once after the last holiday. The number of new cases has exceeded 2,000 in 31 of the past 33 days, according to the Republic, and in 27 of these days more than 4,000 cases were registered.
In the United States, Arizona currently ranks third in terms of seven-day new case averages, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data board, surpassed only by California and Tennessee.
The impact of the last holiday has not yet been seen, but experts have warned that a new rise could be imminent as thousands of families gathered despite warnings from government agencies to do so.
The Republic reports that the state began its coronavirus vaccination plan on December 14th. Priority has been given to front-line health workers, early caregivers and people in vulnerable populations.
The order in which vaccines are deployed has been left to state governments to decide, and the governor of Arizona. Doug Ducey
Doug DuceyElectors voted for Biden amid national tensions over slow fire. Chris Christie calls Trump’s legal team’s legal theory “absurd” (R) has not yet announced who will be next in line, although the newspaper notes that it has assured residents that the vaccine will be free for everyone once it is available.