(Photo from the University of Arizona)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for February 18, 2021.
PHOENIX – Arizona officials reported 1,143 new cases of coronavirus and 213 additional deaths from COVID-19 on Thursday.
It was the sixth consecutive day with less than 2,000 new cases, but the highest death report since February 9.
The state’s updated documented totals were 802,198 coronavirus infections and 15,276 fatalities, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard.
After peaking to record highs in the first half of January, the number of cases and hospitalizations in Arizona has fallen until before Thanksgiving.
The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in state hospitals fell to 1,823 on Wednesday, the lowest number since Nov. 18. The number of IC beds used by COVID-19 patients fell to 566, the lowest since November 27.
Arizona’s weekly percent positivity for COVID-19 diagnostic tests, an indicator of how much the virus is spreading in the community, has been on a downward trend since the beginning of the year.
Of the 16,336 people tested so far this week, 10% got a positive result. The rate was 9%, the lowest in nearly four months, for 90,955 people tested last week.
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 results are documented by the state.
The seven-day average for the state health department’s newly reported coronavirus cases was 1,687.14 for Wednesday, according to tracking by The Associated Press, the lowest since Nov. 9.
The seven-day mean of newly reported deaths had remained stubbornly high since early February, but after two days of steep declines, it was 85.86 on Wednesday. That’s less than half of the pandemic record a month ago, and for the first time since January 4, it was below the July peak of Arizona’s first wave.
In Wednesday’s update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona remained third in the nation in terms of COVID-19 deaths per capita for the past seven days, but had fallen to 19th in cases.
The Arizona Health Department updates current case, death, and testing data daily after the state receives and confirms statistics, which may take several days or more. They do not reflect actual activity for the past 24 hours.
The hospital admission data posted each morning is reported electronically by hospitals across the state the night before, 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 for 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 around 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.
For information on vaccine availability statewide, the ADHS website has a vaccine finder page with a map of locations and registration information.
Below are Thursday’s latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic from across the state, country and world:
- The Navajo Nation reported 43 new coronavirus cases and 13 additional deaths, bringing the documented total to 29,386 infections – including seven delayed cases – and 1,127 deaths.
- Some, but not all, weather-delayed COVID-19 vaccine shipments in Arizona are on their way to the state, authorities said.
- United States Senator Mark Kelly told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News to respond to a request to the federal government for resources to test migrants at the border for COVID-19.
- According to Arizona’s COVID-19 dashboard, vaccination administration is on track to fully consume the state’s available supply as early as Friday. But the numbers can be misleading.
- The Arizona Department of Health Services dashboard says 1,339,829 of the state’s 1,395,300 allocated COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered, an increase of 48,776 from the previous day’s update. More than 1 million people have now received at least one hospitalization in Arizona.
- The University of Arizona vaccination site COVID-19 is now officially a state-run operation. The first round of 12,000 appointments was quickly completed earlier this week.
- According to research from Johns Hopkins University, there were approximately 110.02 million COVID-19 cases worldwide and 2.43 million deaths on Thursday morning. The figures for the US were about 27.83 million cases and 490,000 deaths.