COVID-19 vaccines are being prepared for health workers in Phoenix on December 17, 2020. (Facebook Photo / Banner Health)
This is a periodically updated story with the latest information on coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond December 21, 2020.
PHOENIX – Arizona health officials reported 7,748 new coronavirus cases and an additional death Monday, while hospitalizations were reactivated after a day of falls.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, the state’s documented totals increased to 461,345 COVID-19 infections and 7,972 fatalities.
Several COVID-19 metrics in Arizona remain at or near peak pandemic, although Saturday was the first day in more than a week with no record hospitalization figures.
The number of hospitalized patients confirmed or suspected of Arizona’s COVID-19 hospital was 3,925 on Sunday, 26 more than the previous day and the third highest in history.
The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in Arizona in ICU beds was 904, an increase of 19 from the previous day and also the third highest in history.
Patients with suspected or confirmed state-wide COVID-19 occupied 46% of all hospital beds and 51% of all ICU beds.
Overall, 92% of hospital beds were filled and ICU beds also 92%.
Arizona’s weekly positive percentage for diagnostic tests for COVID-19, an indicator of how widespread the virus is in the community, also shows signs of leveling.
Through 137,303 tests last week, the positivity rate was 18%, coinciding with the rate of the previous two weeks.
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.
Arizona Department of Health daily reports present case, death, and evidence 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 night before by 100 hospitals across the state, as required by executive order.
The seven-day continuous average of cases recently reported by the health department was 6,450.70 for Sunday, according to The Associated Press, the lowest weekly average since Dec. 13, but still among the highest in the pandemic.
The average of seven days of COVID-19 deaths reported recently has tripled this month and stands just below the pandemic record of 94 set on July 31st. The average weekly death toll was 87.71 on Sunday, a fraction lower than the fourth highest in history.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, has no impact on some people and is severely debilitating or deadly to others. Infected people without symptoms (which include, among others, cough, fever, and difficulty breathing) are able to spread the virus.
Information about test sites can be found on the Arizona Department of Health Services website.
Below are Monday’s latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic across the state, the country and the world:
- Worldwide, there were approximately 76.95 million cases of COVID-19 and 1.7 million deaths on Monday morning, according to research from Johns Hopkins University. U.S. figures were about 17.85 million cases and 317,000 dead.