Patients arrive for treatment at the Roseland Community Hospital emergency room on December 15, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. About a third of patients who arrive in the emergency room in Roseland show symptoms of COVID-19. (Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for December 16, 2020.
PHOENIX – Health officials in Arizona reported 4,848 new coronavirus cases and 108 additional deaths on Wednesday, while COVID-19 hospital admissions continued at record levels.
The death report linked the largest daily increase since August 12.
The state’s documented totals rose to 429,219 COVID-19 infections and 7,530 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
In general, multiple COVID-19 statistics in Arizona are at or near the highest they have ever been.
The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital patients in Arizona was 3,809 Tuesday, the fifth consecutive record day.
The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in Arizona in ICU beds was 882 Tuesday, the highest number since July 19, nearing the July 13 record of 970.
Statewide, 45% of all hospital beds and 51% of all IC beds were filled with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients Tuesday, numbers that have been steadily rising for about two months. The percentage of beds included was in line with the July 13 pandemic peak.
In total, 92% of the hospital beds were filled and the IC beds were 91% filled. Of the 689 hospital beds remaining, the fewest reports were since the start of the pandemic.
Arizona’s weekly percent positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic tests, an indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, is on track to hit the record high.
Through 13,278 tests this week, the rate was 21%.
The positivity rate for last week was 18%, the same as the previous week.
The positivity rate peaked at 21% at the end of June and had fallen to 4% at the beginning of October.
Official positivity rates are based on when the samples are taken, not when they are reported, so the rate for the past few weeks may fluctuate as labs are testing and the results are documented by the state.
The seven-day moving average for the health department’s newly reported cases for Tuesday was 6,603.57 according to tracking by The Associated Press, down from the previous day’s record levels, but the second highest on record.
The seven-day average of newly reported deaths is behind the rate of cases, but is increasing this month. It was 64.14 Tuesday, more than doubling since December 1 to its highest level since August 5. The weekly death average peaked at 94 on July 30.
The Arizona Health Department’s Daily Reports present case, death, and testing data after the state receives and confirms statistics, which may lag several days or more. They do not reflect actual activity for the past 24 hours.
The hospitalization data posted each morning is reported electronically the night before by 100 hospitals across the state as required under executive order.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, does not affect some people and is seriously disabling or fatal for others. Infected people without symptoms – including but not limited to a cough, fever, and difficulty breathing – can spread the virus.
Information on testing sites can be found on the Arizona Department of Health Services website.
Below are Wednesday’s latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic from across the state, country and world:
- An ICU nurse who cared for coronavirus patients at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix said the coronavirus vaccine is “a light at the end of the tunnel.”
- The Navajo nation, badly affected by the pandemic, said on Tuesday it had finished providing the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- According to research from Johns Hopkins University, there were approximately 73.64 million COVID-19 cases and 1.64 million deaths on Wednesday morning worldwide. The figures for the US were about 16.72 million cases and 304,000 deaths.