(AP Photo / Lee Jin-man)
This is a regularly updated story with the latest information about coronavirus and its impact in Arizona and not just for December 26, 2020.
PHOENIX – Arizona health officials reported 6,106 new coronavirus cases and 15 additional deaths on Saturday.
The state’s documented totals increased to 493,041 COVID-19 infections and 8,424 deaths, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services dashboard.
Several COVID-19 values in Arizona were at or near pandemic highs.
The number of patients admitted to the confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital fell on Friday to 4,165 on Friday, after a record high of 4,226 on Thursday.
However, the number of COVID-19 patients in ICU state beds rose to 983, setting a record for the third time in four days.
At the national level, patients suspected or confirmed by COVID-19 took over 49% of all inpatient beds, down from a record 50% in the previous two days and 55% in all ICU beds.
Overall, 89% of hospital beds were filled and 91% of intensive care beds were full. The state had 154 unused beds on Friday, 23 more than the day before.
Arizona’s weekly positivity test for the diagnosis of COVID-19, an indicator of how widespread the virus is in the community, was 22 percent through 76,331 tests this week. If maintained, it will break the 21% record for the week beginning June 28.
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 the health department’s recently reported cases was 6,323 on Friday, according to a follow-up by The Associated Press, nearly 150 less than on Thursday.
The seven-day average of deaths recently reported by COVID-19 was 84.29 on Friday, down for the third day in a row, but still the ninth highest.
Daily 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.
Information on test locations can be found on the Arizona Department of Health Services website.