Doctor Jule Teufel is standing at the bar putting a throat and nose swab in a plastic bottle of solution for a quick antigen COVID-19 test for a young woman who had just left for a test station in the Kreuzberg district in cafe and Die Lilie bar, which is otherwise temporarily closed 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 about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for January 29, 2021.
PHOENIX – Health officials in Arizona reported 5,028 new cases of coronavirus and 203 additional deaths from COVID-19 on Friday.
The state’s documented totals have risen to 748,260 infections and 13,022 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard.
As of Thursday’s update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona has continued to lead the nation in average per capita cases for the past seven days, slipping behind Alabama to No. 2 in deaths.
Key statistics indicate that the boom in Arizona that began in November has passed its peak, in line with national trends, but the virus remains widespread in the state.
The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in Arizona fell to 3,970 Thursday, the lowest number since Dec. 20. The number of IC beds used by COVID-19 patients has dropped to 1002, the lowest since December 26.
Statewide, COVID-19 patients occupied 46% of all hospital beds and 56% of all IC beds on Thursday. Overall, the hospital beds and intensive care beds each had 91% of the capacity.
Arizona’s weekly percent positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic tests, an indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, is declining but remains at a significant level.
Of the 49,788 people tested so far this week, 18% received a positive result, which would be the fourth consecutive weekly drop. For 154,860 people tested last week, the positive rate is 19%.
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 average for the state health department’s newly reported coronavirus cases was 6,184.29 for Thursday, according to tracking by The Associated Press, the second lowest on Dec. 31. The seven-day mean of newly reported COVID-19 deaths dropped to 149.57.
The state updates current case, death, and test data daily after the state receives and confirms statistics, which can delay several days or more. They do not reflect actual activity for the past 24 hours.
The hospital admission data posted each morning is electronically reported 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 severely disabling or fatal to others. Infected people without symptoms – including but not limited to a cough, fever, and difficulty breathing – can spread the virus.
Diagnostic tests are available at hundreds of locations in Arizona and should be sought by anyone with symptoms or who may have been exposed to an infected person. Information on locations, schedules, and registration can be found on the Department of Health Services website.
The department also has a vaccine finder page with a map of active and pending locations and registration information.
Below are Friday’s latest developments regarding the coronavirus pandemic from across the state, country and world:
- Johnson & Johnson’s highly anticipated vaccine appears to protect against COVID-19 with just one shot – not as strong as some rivals with two shots, but still potentially useful.
- Doctors in Arizona are using monoclonal antibody therapy, a new COVID-19 treatment designed to avoid most of the risk of hospitalization.
- According to research from Johns Hopkins University, there were approximately 101.58 million COVID-19 cases worldwide and 2.19 million deaths on Friday morning. The figures for the US were about 25.77 million cases and 433,000 deaths.