Arizona reported COVID-19 cases last week up from weeks ago, with 1 in 4 tests positive for the virus after the Thanksgiving holiday, according to Arizona’s latest weekly update was.
Health officials on Wednesday added 15,983 new COVID-19 cases and 71 new known deaths in the week ended Dec. 3. This is the highest weekly case addition since late July.
According to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 of Arizona’s 15 counties, including Maricopa, have been designated with “high” COVID-19 levels as of December 8. public. Only Mojave County was designated as “moderate.”
of CDC “Community Level” Guidance Metrics are based on county COVID-19 hospital bed occupancy, COVID-19 hospitalizations, and virus case rates in the past week.
Although the number of cases is well below last winter, status data showThe number of cases in recent months does not give a complete picture of the infection, as many people are using at-home testing kits and may not have reported positive results to their doctors or county health departments. There is a possibility.
Some epidemiologists had predicted another wave of infections this fall and winter. Across Europe and Western Asia, he has spurred an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.A variant of his Omicron is present in Arizona, where cases are poised to rise again.
Public health officials and health care providers say the best way for Arizonans to avoid serious illness from the new strain is to get the latest COVID-19 booster, if eligible. The new bivalent booster has been updated with protection against Omicron variants sub-variants and is available for users ages 5 and up.
More than 2.3 million cases have been reported since the pandemic began. The number of known deaths in Arizona has him over 31,800.
Wednesday marked the 41st of the weekly updates to the state’s data dashboard, rather than the daily updates Arizonans have become accustomed to following the latest data on infections, illnesses and deaths.
Last week’s update showed 12,987 cases and 42 deaths, compared with 13,410 cases and 62 deaths three weeks ago and 10,775 COVID-19 cases and 34 deaths four weeks ago. has been added.
This week’s update shows the differences in reported data for the week from November 27th through December. 3 and November 20-26.
Health officials say the weekly updates are consistent with how Public Health monitors trends and other disease reports.
The number of cases has generally been relatively low in recent months, and public health experts have estimated cases of the highly contagious omicron variant peaking around mid-January 2022 in Arizona. I’m here.
Since Governor Doug Ducey ended the COVID-19 state of emergency on March 30, the state data dashboard no longer shows key hospitalization information. Weekly admission levels for sickness and bed use by COVID-19 patients are no longer updated.
Hospitalizations for the disease had been steadily declining since late January when data stopped being reported.
CDC still reporting status hospitalization data Arizona showed a 9.5% increase in seven-day average COVID-19 hospitalizations between Nov. 28 and Dec. 28. 4 compared to November 21-27. Hospitalizations last week were down 71% from his seven-day peak average in early January 2021.
The number of known deaths in the state stood at 31,822 as of Wednesday, after surpassing 30,000 in the May 4 update. The state said he passed 25,000 deaths on January 13th. Deaths are reported four weeks behind him.
The CDC says Arizona’s overall pandemic death rate since early 2020 has the third highest in the nation.
Case rates and death reports
Sequencing lab results indicate that infectious Omicron subspecies, particularly BA.5, are responsible for many cases in Arizona. sequence data Data from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) show that “Omicron other” and Omicron BA.2 have increased in recent weeks, while BA.5 has recently appeared to dominate.
The positivity rate, which is the proportion of people who test positive for COVID-19, varies slightly depending on how they are measured.
Arizona’s positive rate for COVID-19 tests was 3% in the week of April 3, rising in the following weeks and peaking at 29% in the week of July 10. Until September it was 10-11%. 11% for the week of October 2nd, 13% for the week of October 9th, 13% for the week of October 16th, 13% for the week of October 23rd, 17% for the week of October 30th, 21% 24% for the week of November 6th, 25% for the week of November 13th, 25% for the week of November 20th, and 25% for the week of November 27th. Unique individuals tested.
A positivity rate of 5% or less is considered a good benchmark that the spread of the disease is under control.
Statewide COVID-19 mortality and case rates since January 21, 2020 remain among the worst in the nation.
The COVID-19 death rate in Arizona since the pandemic began is 436 per 100,000 people as of Tuesday. According to the CDC, ranking third in the nation, separating New York City from New York State. The average U.S. death toll is 324 per 100,000 people as of Tuesday, according to the CDC.
New York City has the highest death rate with 515 per 100,000 population, followed by Mississippi with 437.
The first confirmed death from the disease in Arizona was in mid-March 2020.
Many of the reported deaths occurred days or weeks ago due to late reporting and collation of death certificates.
By December 3, a total of 2,353,530 COVID-19 cases were confirmed statewide.
Arizona still lags behind US vaccination rates
Pfizer’s vaccine is for Arizonans 6 months and older, while Moderna’s vaccine is for children 6 months to 5 years and people 18 years and older. The CDC only recommends the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to people over the age of 18. Many people are also eligible for booster doses.
The state announced that more than 5.4 million people in Arizona (approximately 74.7% of the state’s total population) had received at least one vaccination by Dec. 3, and approximately 4.6 million residents tested positive for COVID-19. reported being fully vaccinated (completed the primary series). The state data dashboard now separates doses administered to Arizona residents from all doses administered within the state.
65.6% of Arizona’s total population completed the primary series, lower than the national rate of 68.8%. According to the CDC As of November 30th.
There is broad vaccination coverage across the United States About 87% of the total population of Rhode Island has completed primary vaccination, which is the highest percentage of completed primary series in the United States, according to CDC.
CDC data showed that 69.5% of people age 5 and older completed the primary series in Arizona, compared to 72.9% at the national level.
Health experts strongly recommend booster shots to those who qualify, especially if the Omicron variant is widespread. About 11.4% of Arizonas age 5 and older renewed as of Nov. 30 (bivalent) booster dose, similar to 12.7% nationally.
What you need to know about the latest numbers
Cases reported in Arizona: 2,353,530 as of December 3rd.
Cases by county: 1,470,301 in Maricopa. 305,498 in Pima. 152,251 in Pinal. 69,092 in Yuma. 65,559 in Mojave. 57,905 at Yavapai. 51,697 at Coconino. 46,759 on the Navajo. 37,779 in Cochise. 34,608 on Apache. 20,781 in Gila. 19,079 in Santa Cruz. 13,770 at Graham. 5,843 in La Paz. 2,608 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.
Since the pandemic began, Apache County has the highest number of cases per 100,000 people, followed by Navajo, Santa Cruz, Gila, Graham, and Coconino counties, according to state data. The incidence in Apache County is 52,112 cases per 100,000 people. By comparison, the average U.S. incidence rate since the pandemic began is 29,753 cases per 100,000 people as of Tuesday. According to the CDC.
navajo report As of December 1, 79,003 cases and 1,960 deaths have been confirmed. The Navajo includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the racial/ethnic breakdown of cases is 40% white, 28% Hispanic or Latino, 5% Native American, 4% black, and Asian/Pacific Islander. is 2%. The race/ethnicity of positive cases since the onset of the pandemic is unknown in 14% of cases and described as other race in 6% of cases.
Of those who have tested positive in Arizona since the start of the pandemic, approximately 20% are under the age of 20, 42% are between the ages of 20-44, 13% are between the ages of 45-54, 11% are between the ages of 55-64, 13 % are 65 or older.
The lab has completed a total of 21,409,703 diagnostic tests for COVID-19 as of December 3, of which 12.8% have returned positive. This number includes both PCR and antigen tests.
The positivity rate was 25% for the week of 27 November and 20 November, an increase from recent weeks and the highest level since July. Although the positive rate is lower than in summer, it is still at a high level. State numbers exclude data from laboratories that do not report electronically.
State health departments are including people who may have a positive antigen test, another type of test to determine infection. An antigen test (unrelated to antibody testing) uses a nasal swab or another bodily fluid sample to test for current infection. Usually the results he produces within 15 minutes.
Positive antigen test results are considered highly accurate, but they are more likely to produce false-negative results, Mayo Clinic officials said. They say doctors may recommend a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test to confirm a negative antigen test result.
Arizona has the 14th highest overall case rate among all US states and territories since January 21, 2020, as of Tuesday, according to the CDC. Since the pandemic began, Arizona has surpassed Arizona in cases per 100,000 people: Rhode Island, Alaska, Kentucky, North Dakota, New York, Guam, Tennessee, West Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, Utah, Wisconsin, Delaware. According to the CDC.
According to the CDC, Arizona has an infection rate of 32,115 cases per 100,000 people. While the national average is 29,753 cases per 100,000 people, the incidence in states hardest hit early in the pandemic was underestimated due to the lack of testing available in March and April 2020. There is a possibility that
Deaths reported in Arizona: 31,822
Deaths by county: 18,167 in Maricopa. 4,068 in Pima. 1,749 at Pinal. 1,585 in the Mojave. 1,314 people in Yavapai. 1,220 in Yuma. 948 on the Navajo. 630 for Apache. 613 in Cochise. Coconino’s 511. 403 in Gila. 239 in Santa Cruz. 184 at Graham. 152 to La Paz. and Greenlee’s 39.
People aged 65 and over accounted for 22,778 of the 31,822 deaths, or 72%. About 15% of the deaths were between the ages of 55-64, 8% between the ages of 45-54 and 5% between the ages of 20-44.
Race/ethnicity was unknown in 5% of deaths, but 57% of deaths were Caucasian, 26% Hispanic or Latino, 7% Native American, 3% Black, and 1% Asian/Ethnic. I was a Pacific Islander. indicate.
The global death toll on Wednesday was 6,644,771. The US death toll was her 1,082,370, the highest in the world, followed by Brazil at 690,229 and India at 530,638. Johns Hopkins University.
Arizona’s 31,822 deaths represent approximately 3% of COVID-19 deaths in the United States.
Republic reporter Stephanie Innes contributed to this article.
Please contact the reporter at Alison.Steinbach@arizonarepublic.com Or at 602-444-4282. follow her on her twitter @alisteinbach.
