Certified Medical Assistant Mario Rivera applies a band aid after administering a COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine to Anthony Banash at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center on January 21, 2021 in Torrance, California. Banash was the first patient to receive the vaccine at the hospital. (Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images)
This is a periodically updated story with the latest information on coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond January 22, 2021.
PHOENIX – Arizona health officials reported 8,099 new coronavirus cases and 229 additional deaths from COVID-19 on Friday, pushing the pandemic to over 700,000 and 12,000.
The state’s documented total moved to 708,041 infections and 12,001 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services ’COVID-19 board.
Following Thursday’s update of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona continued to lead the nation in per capita cases for the past seven days and regained the top spot for the mortality rate. On Wednesday, Arizona had been fourth in deaths per capita in the past seven days.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have been on the decline since it rose to record levels early last week.
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 confirmed or suspected in Arizona fell to 4,495 on Thursday, the lowest number since Dec. 28.
Patients with suspected or confirmed state-wide COVID-19 obtained 52% of all hospital beds and 58% of all ICU beds on Thursday, both down one percentage point from the previous day. .
Overall, hospital beds remained stable at 92% and ICU beds opened slightly to 91%.
Arizona’s weekly positivity percentage for diagnostic tests for COVID-19, an indicator of how widespread the virus is in the community, has dropped since it hit an all-time high of 24% three weeks ago.
Of the 59,955 people tested this week, 21% got a positive result, one point more than last week’s rate.
Official positivity rates are based on when samples are taken, not when they are reported, so the percentage in recent weeks may fluctuate as labs catch up on testing. and the results are documented by the state.
The seven-day average of recently reported State Department of Health coronavirus cases was 7,271.71 for Thursday, according to follow-up to The Associated Press, which rose from the previous day for the first time since Jan. 12.
The average of seven days of COVID-19 deaths reported recently moved to 153 on Thursday, rising for the second day in a row.
Daily status updates present case, death, and evidence data after the state receives and confirms statistics, which can take several days or more. They do not represent the actual activity during the last 24 hours.
Hospitalization data released each morning is communicated electronically 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 impact on some people and is severely debilitating or deadly to others. Asymptomatic infected people, which include, among other things, cough, fever, and difficulty breathing, are able to spread the virus.
Diagnostic tests are available at hundreds of sites across Arizona and should be looked for by anyone with symptoms or who may have been exposed to an infected person. Information on locations, times, and registration can be found on the Department of Health Services website.
The department also has a vaccine search page with a map of active and pending sites and registration information.
Below are Friday’s latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic across the state, country and world:
- With Arizona’s COVID-19 winter wave receding for the first time in months, Banner Health will cautiously resume elective surgeries next week.
- Said U.S. Representative David Schweikert of Arizona KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News he turned down the opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19 because he “felt creepy” using his position to get to the head of the line.
- The Navajo nation reported 143 new cases of coronavirus and 14 additional deaths, accounting for a documented total of 26,955 infections and 954 deaths.
- Globally, there were about 97.65 million cases of COVID-19 and 2.09 million deaths on Friday morning, according to research from Johns Hopkins University. U.S. figures were about 24.63 million cases and 410,000 deaths.