A dose of the new Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 one-shot vaccine is being prepared at a vaccination event at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in South Los Angeles on March 11, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. The event was hosted by California health officials and FEMA. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is now the third coronavirus vaccine to receive emergency approval for use in the United States. (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 March 12, 2021.
PHOENIX – Arizona public health officials reported 1,367 new coronavirus cases and 55 additional deaths from COVID-19 on Friday.
The state’s documented total was upgraded to 831,832 coronavirus infections and 16,519 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services ’COVID-19 board.
The key state metrics used to assess the extent of the pandemic continue to improve and are the lowest they have been in months and more than 20% of the Arizona population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 confirmed or suspected in state hospitals fell to 879 on Thursday, the lowest since Oct. 31.
Arizona’s weekly positivity percentage for diagnostic tests for COVID-19, an indicator of how widespread the virus is in the community, is at a minimum of five months.
Of the 33,923 people tested so far this week, 5% got a positive result. The rate of 77,971 people last week was 5%, the lowest since early October.
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 state documents the results.
Daily updates from the Arizona Department of Health present case, death, and test data after the state receives and confirms statistics, which can be delayed for several days or more. They do not represent the actual activity during the last 24 hours.
Hospitalization data released each morning is reported electronically the previous evening to 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.
For details on the state availability of COVID-19 vaccines, the ADHS website has a vaccine search page with a site map and registration and eligibility information.
Below are Friday’s latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic across the state, country and world:
- Arizona health officials reported Friday that the P1 COVID-19 variant, commonly known as the Brazilian variant, has been confirmed in three state test samples.
- The Navajo nation reported 19 new cases of coronavirus and three additional deaths, bringing the total to 29,930 infections and 1,215 fatalities.
- That’s what Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said The Mike Broomhead Show on KTAR News 92.3 FM that the state can meet President Joe Biden’s goal of extending eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to all adults before May 1 if supply is sufficient.
- Thousands of front-line traffic workers serving the Phoenix subway will be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at a private event this weekend.
- Globally, there were approximately 118.7 million cases of COVID-19 and 2.63 million deaths as of Friday morning, according to research from Johns Hopkins University. U.S. figures were about 29.29 million cases and 531,000 deaths.