The number of reported deaths from the coronavirus outbreak in Arizona has increased by at least 15 as state officials reported hundreds of additional confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The state Department of Health Services said the state had 532 deaths as of Saturday while 434 additional cases increased the total number of infections to at least 10,960.
The increase in the death tally was sharply below the 67 additional deaths reported Friday when the department said roughly half of those were based on reviews of death certificates from as far back as April 12 because of new federal guidance.
Friday’s increase of 67 reported deaths was the state’s largest in a single day.
On the Navajo Nation that sprawls across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, there were 97 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number to 2,973 as of Saturday, officials said, The reservation has had 98 deaths as of Saturday.
The Navajo Nation has some of the highest infection rates in the country.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The vast majority of people recover.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
