A health worker administers a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Central Vaccination Center in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, July 15, 2021. As many Asian countries battle against a new surge of coronavirus infections, for many their first, the slow-flow of vaccine doses from around the world is finally picking up speed, giving hope that low inoculation rates can increase rapidly and help blunt the effect of the rapidly-spreading delta variant. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
PHOENIX – Arizona public health officials on Thursday reported 1,014 new COVID-19 cases, the second consecutive day in quadruple figures, and seven additional deaths from the virus.
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,945 new cases Wednesday, the largest daily increase since early March, although the agency said it included an unspecified number of cases from the previous two days that were delayed by an electronic reporting issue.
The last time the state reported more than 1,000 new cases on back-to-back days was March 11-12, when the vaccine supply was limited.
Hospitalizations related to COVID-19, meanwhile, have risen to levels not seen in months, with unvaccinated people accounting for most of the serious illnesses, according to health officials.
The latest documented totals were 904,865 infections and 18,083 fatalities, according to the ADHS COVID-19 dashboard.
The dashboard also showed that 6,651,842 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, with 3,650,418 people (50.7% of the state’s population) having received at least one shot and 3,274,610 people fully vaccinated.
Hospitalizations have been fluctuating by relatively small amounts on a day-to-day basis but have been trending upward this month. The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in the state’s hospitals increased by 20 overnight to 689 on Wednesday, the most since March 19. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients decreased by four to 184, the second-most since May 17.
The percent positivity for diagnostic testing last week was 9% as of Thursday’s update, the highest since February. It’s also 9% so far this week.
The state health department’s daily updates present case and death data after the state receives statistics and confirms them, which can lag by several days or more. They don’t represent the actual activity over the past 24 hours.
The hospitalization numbers posted each morning are reported electronically the previous evening by hospitals across the state.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, has no impact on some people and is seriously debilitating or fatal for others. Infected people without symptoms — which include but are not limited to cough, fever and difficulty breathing — are capable of spreading the virus.
Information about where to get tested for COVID-19 can be found on the Department of Health Services website.
Federally approved vaccines are highly effective in stopping the transmission of COVID-19.
For details about statewide vaccine availability, the ADHS website has a vaccine-finder page with locations and other information.
For information about metro Phoenix vaccine availability, Maricopa County Public Health has a locator page that lists pharmacies, government-run sites, health clinics and pop-up distribution events.
Appointments may be required depending on the provider, but many accept walk-ins.
The minimum age to receive the Pfizer shot has been reduced to 12, but it’s still 18 for the other approved versions, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.