(Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information about the coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and beyond for February 2, 2021.
PHOENIX – Health officials in Arizona reported 2,938 new cases of coronavirus and 238 additional deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday.
It was the first daily report with less than 3,000 new cases since December 29, but the highest death report since January 21.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard, the state’s documented totals have amounted to 765,083 infections and 13,362 fatalities.
While key statistics indicate that the massive Arizona wave that began in November is waning, the virus remains widespread in the state.
The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in Arizona dropped to 3,513 Monday, the lowest number since Dec. 10. The number of IC beds used by COVID-19 patients has dropped to 944, the lowest since December 21.
Statewide, COVID-19 patients occupied 40% of all hospital beds and 52% of all IC beds on Monday. Overall, the pre-hospital beds were 90% of the capacity and 88% of the intensive care beds.
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 119,808 people tested last week, 16% received a positive result, the lowest number since before Thanksgiving and the fourth consecutive weekly decline.
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.
As of Monday’s update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona has continued to lead the country in average cases per capita for the past seven days, dropping to No. 3 in deaths behind Alabama and Iowa.
The seven-day average for the state health department’s newly reported coronavirus cases was 4,892.86 for Monday, according to tracking by The Associated Press, the lowest figure since December 4. down over the past week, was 126.43, the second lowest since January 7.
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 represent 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 asset with a map of locations and registration information.
Below are Tuesday’s latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic from around the state, country and world:
- According to research from Johns Hopkins University, there were approximately 103.5 million COVID-19 cases worldwide and 2.24 million deaths on Tuesday morning. The figures for the US were about 26.32 million cases and 443,000 deaths.