Arizona weekly COVID-19 update adds 18,135 cases, 66 deaths
COVID-19 cases in Arizona continue to rise because of highly contagious subvariants, and a higher percentage of tests came back positive than seen since January, according to the state’s weekly update.
On Wednesday, health officials added 18,135 new COVID-19 cases and 66 new known deaths over the weeklong period ending July 16. June and July have seen relatively similar weekly case additions, with this past week’s slightly higher.
Case counts are still far below the winter, state data shows. Case numbers in recent months likely are not showing the full picture of infections as many more people have used at-home test kits and may not report positive results to county health departments.
Arizona like other states is seeing an ongoing case increase now largely driven by two contagious subvariants of the virus, BA.4 and BA.5, with BA.5 the more dominant of the two. It’s also likely contributing to reinfections given its contagiousness and ability to evade antibodies.
Learn more:‘It is spreading everywhere’: What to know about the latest COVID-19 wave in Arizona
Residents in 10 of Arizona’s 15 counties, including Maricopa County, should be wearing face masks indoors in public because of COVID-19 levels, according to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of July 14.
The CDC’s “community level” guidance is updated weekly and ranks counties as low, medium and high, or green, yellow and orange. The Arizona counties designated as “high,” where masks are recommended, are Maricopa, Pinal, Apache, Coconino, Gila, La Paz, Mohave, Navajo, Yavapai and Yuma. Greenlee and Santa Cruz were “medium,” and Pima, Graham and Cochise were “low” as of July 14.
The metrics are based on a county’s COVID-19 hospital bed use, COVID-19 hospital admissions and case rates for the virus over the past week.
Reported cases since the pandemic began are approaching 2.2 million. Known deaths in Arizona are at about 30,700.
Wednesday marked the 21st of the weekly updates to the state’s data dashboard, instead of daily updates that Arizonans became accustomed to following for the latest data on infections, illnesses and deaths.
The previous week’s update added 15,280 cases and 60 deaths, compared with 20,198 cases (high because old cases were added) and 57 deaths, 16,514 cases and 63 deaths, 15,373 cases and 52 deaths, 16,334 cases and 28 deaths, 14,677 cases and 40 deaths, 13,042 cases and 33 deaths, 11,498 cases and 40 deaths, 7,204 cases and 29 deaths, 5,490 cases and 41 deaths, 3,911 cases and 238 deaths, 2,350 cases and 99 deaths, 2,377 cases and 29 deaths (low because of a processing error), 2,777 cases and 142 deaths, 6,840 cases and 413 deaths, 10,143 cases (high because of a reporting catch-up) and 385 deaths, 4,566 cases and 336 deaths, 5,153 cases and 457 deaths, 6,549 cases and 382 deaths and 9,647 cases and 449 deaths the 19 weeks prior.
This week’s update shows the differences between data reported for the week of July 10-16 and July 3-9.
Health officials say weekly updates match how public health monitors trends and other disease reporting.
Case numbers generally were relatively lower in the…
Read More: Arizona weekly COVID-19 update adds 18,135 cases, 66 deaths