Dr. Jule Teufel is at the bar to place a throat and nose swab sample in a plastic bottle with solution for a rapid COVID-19 antigen test for a young woman who had just left for a station in the Kreuzberg district, the bar and the Die Lilie bar. , which otherwise closes temporarily during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, on January 29, 2021 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup / Getty Images)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information on coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond January 29, 2021.
PHOENIX – Arizona health officials reported 5,028 new coronavirus cases and an additional 203 deaths from COVID-19 on Friday.
The state’s documented total moved to 748,260 infections and 13,022 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services ’COVID-19 board.
Following Thursday’s update of U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona continued to lead the nation in average per capita cases over the past seven days and fell behind Alabama to No. 2 in deaths.
Key metrics indicate that the massive Arizona surge that began in November has reached its peak, reflecting national trends, but the virus continues to spread statewide.
The number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 confirmed or suspected in Arizona fell to 3,970 on Thursday, the lowest since Dec. 20. The number of beds used by COVID-19 patients in Arizona dropped to 1,002, the lowest since Dec. 26.
On Thursday, statewide, patients with COVID-19 occupied 46% of all hospital beds and 56% of all ICU beds. Overall, hospital beds and ICU beds had 91% capacity each.
Arizona’s weekly positivity rate for diagnostic tests for COVID-19, an indicator of how far the virus is spreading in the community, has been declining, but remains at a substantial level.
Of the 49,788 people tested so far this week, 18% got a positive result, which would be the fourth consecutive weekly decline. For 154,860 people tested last week, the positive rate is 19%.
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 for recently reported state health department coronavirus cases was 6,184.29 on Thursday, according to follow-up to The Associated Press, the second-lowest mark on Dec. 31. The seven-day average of recently reported COVID-19 deaths decreased to 149.57.
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 reported 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:
- Johnson & Johnson’s long-awaited vaccine appears to protect against COVID-19 with a single shot, not as strong as some two-shot rivals, but it can still be useful.
- Arizona doctors use monoclonal antibody therapy, a new COVID-19 treatment that aims to help maintain the highest risk of being hospitalized.
- Globally, there were about 101.58 million cases of COVID-19 and 2.19 million deaths as of Friday morning, according to research from Johns Hopkins University. U.S. figures were about 25.77 million cases and 433,000 dead.