Arizona reports 87 new known COVID-19 deaths, 1,698 new cases as hospitalizations continue to drop

Arizona reported 87 new known COVID-19 deaths and about 1,700 new cases on Wednesday as hospitalizations for the virus continue to decline gradually. 

Inpatient hospitalizations, ICU beds in use and ventilators in use all dropped slightly on Tuesday, continuing general downward trends over the past three weeks, according to hospital data reported to the state. 

Identified cases rose to 182,203 and known deaths totaled 3,932, according to the daily report by the Arizona Department of Health Services. 

The 87 new known deaths reported on Wednesday represent the new deaths identified by the Arizona Department of Health Services that day, but many occurred days and weeks prior. Given slow test result turnaround times, new daily reported cases often represent cases that occurred days and weeks prior.

Wednesday's dashboard shows 81% of inpatient beds and 82% of ICU beds were in use, which includes people being treated for COVID-19 and other patients. Overall, 41% of ventilators were in use.

Most people who get the disease are not hospitalized. The state does not report the number of recovered cases, although it does report hospital discharges.

For much of the pandemic, testing did not keep up with the virus' spread, but the state recently has worked to expand testing. Of known test results from last week, 11% have come back positive. A high percentage of positive tests means there is not enough broad testing and the virus is widespread.

Turnaround on test results is still slow. Sonora Quest Laboratories, which processes the majority of the state's tests, is still slightly backlogged and reporting results within four days, an improvement from the up to two weeks seen in previous weeks, according to a spokesperson. Priority samples from hospitals are processed within 24 hours.

Sonora Quest said it would fully clear its backlog of tests by Sunday (initially, the state had said Friday), but nearly 5,000 tests were still pending processing on Tuesday morning.

Here's what you need to know about Wednesday's new numbers.

Reported cases in Arizona: 182,203

• Cases increased by 1,698, or 0.94%, from Tuesday's 180,505 identified cases since the outbreak began.
• County cases: 123,082 in Maricopa, 16,964 in Pima, 11,314 in Yuma, 8,297 in Pinal, 5,309 in Navajo, 3,119 in Apache, 3,073 in Mohave, 3,033 in Coconino, 2,633 in Santa Cruz, 1,904 in Yavapai, 1,560 in Cochise, 871 in Gila, 511 in Graham, 476 in La Paz and 57 in Greenlee, according to state numbers.
• The state's total case count includes individuals who tested positive on a diagnostic PCR test as well as individuals who tested positive on an antibody test who had COVID-19 symptoms or were linked to a known case. Of the cases, 99% are individuals with a positive diagnostic test, according to the state health department.
• The rate of cases per 100,000 people is highest in Santa Cruz County, followed by Yuma, Navajo and Apache counties.
• The Navajo Nation reported 9,156 cases and 463 confirmed deaths as of Tuesday. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
• The Arizona Department of Corrections said 890 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Monday; 7,121 inmates have been tested out of a population of about 39,300. Six incarcerated people have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, with 15 additional deaths under investigation. The department said on Tuesday  that 517 inmates at a Tucson prison tested positive, making up nearly half the unit's population.
• While race/ethnicity is unknown for 47% of cases, 24% of cases are Hispanic or Latino, 18% of cases are white, 6% are Native American and 2% are Black.
• Laboratories have completed 984,332 diagnostic tests for COVID-19, 14.3% of which have come back positive. The percent of positive tests increased since mid-May but appears to be decreasing. It was 11% for tests that have come back so far from last week, and 13% from the week prior.

Reported deaths: 3,932 known deaths 

• On Wednesday, 87 new deaths were reported, although many likely occurred on previous days or weeks.
• County deaths: 2,204 in Maricopa, 469 in Pima, 276 in Yuma, 197 in Navajo, 161 in Mohave, 145 in Pinal, 137 in Apache, 117 in Coconino, 65 in Yavapai, 52 in Cochise, 51 in Santa Cruz, 34 in Gila, 12 in Graham, 10 in La Paz and fewer than three in Greenlee.
• People aged 65 and older made up 2,827 of the 3,932 deaths, or 72%.
• While race/ethnicity is unknown for 15% of deaths, 39% of those who died were white, 28% were Hispanic or Latino, 12% were Native American and 3% were Black.

Hospitalizations see downward trends

• Inpatients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 tallied 1,945 on Tuesday, continuing three weeks of a steady downward trend. Hospitalizations have eclipsed 1,000 daily since June 1 and had surpassed 3,000 daily for much of July. Inpatient hospitalizations are gradually decreasing.
• ICU bed use for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients was at 618 beds in use on Tuesday, down from 638 beds in use on Monday, which had risen slightly from Sunday's 628 ICU beds in use. Prior to Saturday, the metric had not been below 700 beds in use since June 30. Occupied beds have seen gradual decreases over the past three weeks. 
• Ventilator use for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients was at 455 on Tuesday, down from 474 ventilators in use on Monday and 461 ventilators in use on Sunday. Ventilators in use seem to be generally declining for the past three weeks. A record high 687 ventilators in use was hit July 16.
• Emergency department visits for patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 was at 1,171 on Tuesday, up slightly from 1,111 visits on Monday. Generally, with a few exceptions, daily ER visits appear to be trending downward. Daily ER visits surpassed 1,000 on June 16 and have been above that level every day but two since. 
• The number of patients with suspected and confirmed positive COVID-19 discharged from hospitals was at 278 patients discharged on Tuesday. July saw relatively high discharge numbers.

Reach the reporter at Alison.Steinbach@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.

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