Dr. Jule Teufel sits at the bar to place a sample of throat and nose swab in a plastic vial with a COVID-19 rapid antigen test solution for a young woman who had just left for a test station in the Kreuzberg district of the cafe and the 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 coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and not just for January 29, 2021.
PHOENIX – Arizona health officials reported 5,028 new coronavirus cases and 203 additional deaths from COVID-19 on Friday.
The state’s documented totals moved to 748,260 infections and 13,022 deaths, according to the Arizona Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Since Thursday’s update to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Arizona has continued to lead the nation in average per capita cases over the past seven days and has slipped behind Alabama to No. 2 in deaths.
Key measures indicate that the massive growth in Arizona, which began in November, has peaked, reflecting national trends, but the virus remains spread across the state.
The number of hospitalized patients confirmed or suspected of COVID-19 in Arizona fell to 3,970 on Thursday, the lowest since December 20. The number of ICU beds used by patients with COVID-19 decreased to 1,002, the lowest since December 26.
Nationally, COVID-19 patients occupied 46% of all inpatient beds and 56% of all intensive care beds on Thursday. In general, hospital beds and intensive care beds were at 91% capacity each.
Arizona’s weekly positive test for COVID-19, an indicator of the extent of the virus’s spread in the community, has declined but remains at a substantial level.
Of the 49,788 people tested so far this week, 18% received a positive result, which would be the fourth consecutive weekly decline. For 154,860 people tested last week, the positive rate is 19%.
Official positivity rates are based on the time of sampling, not the time they are reported, so the percentage in recent weeks may fluctuate as laboratories are tested and the results are documented by the state.
The seven-day average for coronavirus cases recently reported by the health department was 6,184.29 for Thursday, according to a follow-up by The Associated Press, the second lowest point since December 31. The seven-day average of recently reported COVID-19 deaths dropped to 149.57.
Daily state updates present case, death, and test data after the state receives and confirms statistics, which may remain for a few days or more. It is not the actual activity of the last 24 hours.
Hospitalization data posted each morning is reported electronically the previous evening by 100 hospitals across the state, as required by the executive order.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, has no impact on some and is severely debilitating or fatal to others. Asymptomatic infected people – which include, but are not limited to, cough, fever, and difficulty breathing – are able to spread the virus.
Diagnostic testing is available in hundreds of locations in Arizona and should be looked for by anyone with symptoms or who may have been exposed to an infected person. Information about locations, programs and registration can be found on the website of the Department of Health Services.
The department also has a vaccine search page with a map of active and pending locations and registration information.
Below are the latest developments on Friday about the coronavirus pandemic across the country, country and world:
- Johnson & Johnson’s long-awaited vaccine seems to protect against COVID-19 with a single shot – not as strong as some two-shot rivals, but still potentially useful.
- Arizona doctors are using monoclonal antibody therapy, a new COVID-19 treatment designed to help maintain the highest risk of being hospitalized.
- Globally, there have been approximately 101.58 million COVID-19 cases and 2.19 million deaths since Friday morning, according to research from Johns Hopkins University. The figures for the US were about 25.77 million cases and 433,000 deaths.