Arizona ties, sets records for virus deaths, hospital usage
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PHOENIX — Arizona on Wednesday tied a previous record of coronavirus deaths in one day during the current virus surge while its available hospital bed capacity dropped to a record-low since the start of the pandemic.
As the state’s vaccination program began to ramp up, the state Department of Health Services reported 4,848 additional known covid-19 cases and 108 deaths, bringing the state’s totals to 429,219 cases and 7,530 deaths.
A record 92% of Arizona’s inpatient beds were filled Tuesday, either by coronavirus patients or people hospitalized for other reasons, leaving only 8% available, according to the state’s coronavirus dashboard.
The dashboard indicated that the hospital beds occupied on Tuesday were almost evenly divided between 3,809 coronavirus patients and 4,040 non-virus patients.
Arizona’s rate of bed usage has hovered in the 10% range since early December.
Hospital executives and public health experts have warned that the current surge, which has spiked since Thanksgiving, could exceed the health system’s capacity this month.
Wednesday’s report of 108 known deaths tied the number reported on Dec. 9 when state health officials said that day’s report included results of reviews of past death certificates that newly attributed some additional deaths to covid-19.
Department of Health Services officials did not immediately respond to a query from The Associated Press asking whether Wednesday’s report included results from death certificate reviews.
The state recorded the highest number of daily coronavirus deaths on July 30 of 172 during the summer surge of infections.
The latest big increase in the state’s death toll from covid-19 came as the seven-day rolling average of deaths in Arizona rose from 24.6 per day on Dec. 1 to 64.1 on Tuesday.
The state’s rolling averages of daily new cases and daily positivity in covid-19 testing also increased during that period.
Meanwhile, Arizona in the week ended Tuesday had the fourth-worst coronavirus diagnosis rate among U.S. states, with one person in every 155 having been diagnosed with the virus between Dec. 8 and Dec. 15.
The diagnosis rate is calculated by dividing the state’s total population by the number of new cases over the previous week.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.