Arizona, the state with the worst COVID-19 diagnosis rate in the country, reported nearly 9,400 additional confirmed cases on Thursday as the number of hospitalizations continued to drop from a recent pandemic high.
The Department of Health Services reported 9,398 additional known cases and 244 additional deaths, increasing the state’s pandemic totals to 699,942 cases and 11,772 deaths.
According to the state’s coronavirus dashboard, there were 4,580 hospitalized COVID-19 patients occupying inpatient beds as of Wednesday, down from the Jan. 11 record of 5,082.
From Jan. 13 to Wednesday, one person in Arizona out of every 147 residents was diagnosed with COVID-19. South Carolina was close behind at one of every 148.
Arizona’s seven-day rolling average of daily new cases declined from 8,884.4 on Jan. 6 to 6,973.6 on Wednesday as the rolling average of daily deaths rose from 103.7 to 142.7 during the same period. That’s according to data from Johns Hopkins University and The COVID Tracking Project.
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.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
