Arizona Health Officials Report over3k New COVID-19 Cases

Arizona health officials reported 3,307 new COVID-19 cases and three additional deaths from the disease on Sunday. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services COVID-19, the latest documented totals are 986,082 infections and 18,600 fatalities.

People who aren’t fully vaccinated now account for almost all of the serious illnesses and deaths. The number of confirmed or suspected coronavirus inpatients in the state’s hospitals increased by five overnight to 1,871 on Saturday.The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients went down by seven to 455, the most since Feb. 22.The dashboard also showed that 3,947,963 people had received at least one dose of vaccine in Arizona, and 3,468,678 people are fully vaccinated. The nationwide rates are 60.5% with at least one dose and 51.3% fully vaccinated, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The state health department’s daily updates present case and death data after the state receives statistics and confirms them, which can delay by several days or more. The hospitalization numbers posted each morning are reported electronically by hospitals across the state. Free federally-authorized vaccines are widely available and highly effective in preventing illness from COVID-19, including the more contagious delta variant that now accounts for most of the new cases in the U.S. 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 is 18 for the other approved versions, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. 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.