Arizona coronavirus update: 7,648 confirmed cases, 320 known deaths as of Thursday

Arizona cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, now exceed 7,600, with 320 known deaths, according to numbers released on Thursday by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Arizona's total identified cases rose to 7,648, according to the most recent state figures. That's an increase of 446 confirmed cases, or 6.2%, since Wednesday when the state reported 7,202 identified cases and 304 deaths. Sixteen new deaths were reported since Wednesday.

Maricopa County's confirmed cases now exceed 3,900, according to state numbers. All of Arizona's 15 counties have reported at least two cases.

The number of Arizona cases likely is higher than official numbers suggest because of limits on supplies and available tests, which led to the state issuing guidelines that restrict who should be tested. The state announced on April 23 that anyone who thinks they could be infected can now get tested.

Arizona saw a slight increase in COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals and ICU beds in use over the last week, state hospitalization data shows. Numbers have fluctuated but stayed relatively stable over the last several days.

Several different mathematical models project different outcomes and timelines for Arizona deaths and peak hospital use based on when social distancing is relaxed and various interpretations of current data.

The latest Arizona data

As of Thursday morning, the state reported death totals from these counties: 145 in Maricopa, 80 in Pima, 42 in Coconino, 21 in Navajo, 11 in Pinal, 10 in Mohave and six in Apache.

La Paz County and Yavapai County reported two deaths each and Yuma County reported one death as of Wednesday. Information on deaths in those counties differed on the state site Thursday, showing fewer than three deaths for each of the three counties.

Gila, Greenlee, Graham, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties each reported no deaths as of Thursday, according to state data.

Of the statewide identified cases overall, 47% are men and 53% are women. Previously, the majority of cases were men.

Men made up a higher percentage of deaths. As of Thursday's state data, 58% of the deaths were men and 42% were women.

People 65 and older made up 244 of the 320 total deaths. While race/ethnicity is unknown for 15% of deaths, 46% of deaths were white, 20% were Native American and 13% were Hispanic or Latino.

Of the 7,648 individuals who have tested positive, 4.2% have died. Overall, Arizona has 106.4 cases and 4.45 deaths per 100,000 residents, according to state data. The situation differs by county, with Maricopa having 90.9 cases and 3.32 deaths per 100,000 residents and Coconino having 330 cases and 28.52 deaths per 100,000 residents, for example. Navajo County has 631.1 cases and 18.61 deaths per 100,000 residents. 

Of the 7,648 cases, 29% have chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, cardiac disease, hypertension, chronic pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease or chronic liver disease. In addition, 42% of all cases are considered "high-risk," meaning the individual is either over 65 or has a chronic condition.

Of all confirmed cases, 5% are younger than 20, 37% are aged 20 to 44, 34% are aged 45 to 64 and 25% are over 65. This aligns with the proportions of testing done for each age range.

The state health department website said both state and private laboratories have completed a total of 71,786 tests for COVID-19, according to the number posted Thursday on the agency website.

Most COVID-19 tests come back negative, the state's dashboard shows, with 8.8% of tests coming back positive.

Maricopa County’s Department of Public Health provided more detailed information on its 3,951 cases Thursday (the state reported its cases at 3,972):

• Confirmed cases increased by 233 from Wednesday to Thursday. Deaths rose by five to 145.
• The cases are 48% men and 52% women.
• 651 cases have been linked to residents of long-term care facilities. Of those, 161 people (25%) have been hospitalized and 91 people (14%) have died.
• 110 long-term care facilities have at least one positive case from a resident or staff.
• 155 people under age 19 have tested positive, making up 4% of positive cases.
• People aged 20 to 44 make up 37% of positive cases, followed by people 45 to 64 years old at 33% and people 65 or older at 26%.
• 17%, or 665 cases, have been hospitalized.
• 5%, or 198 cases, have been in the intensive care unit. The hospitalization and ICU numbers include any cases that were in the hospital or ICU at any time during their illness, the county says.
• The likelihood of being hospitalized or in the ICU increases with age. Of those aged 20-44, 125 (9%) were hospitalized and 31 (2%) were in the ICU. For people aged 45-64, 219 (17%) were hospitalized and 69 (5%) were in the ICU. Among those over age 65, there were 316 (30%) hospitalized and 97 (9%) in the ICU.
• Of the 140 deaths in Maricopa County, one was aged 20-44, 14 were aged 45-64 and 130 were over age 65.
• Of the 145 deaths, 90% were 65 or older, 65% had a chronic medical condition and 98% were high risk (meaning 65 or older or at least one chronic medical condition). 

Cases rise in other counties

According to Thursday's state update, Pima County reported 1,241 identified cases. Navajo County reported 712 cases, while Coconino reported 486. Apache County reported 449, Pinal County reported 397, Mohave County reported 117, Yavapai County reported 79 and Yuma County reported 78 (county officials previously reported 85).

Cochise County reported 39 cases, Santa Cruz County reported 33, Graham County reported 16, La Paz County reported 14 (county officials previously reported 18), Gila County reported 13 and Greenlee County reported two, according to state numbers.

All counties but Yavapai and Greenlee saw an increase in their numbers from Wednesday.

The Navajo Nation announced on Wednesday evening it had 1,977 identified cases, with 62 confirmed deaths. The case count previously included border towns, but no longer does, which is why the count decreased slightly in recent reports. Of the 1,977 cases, 1,192 involve residents on tribal land in Arizona counties. The Navajo Nation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The Navajo Nation will again enforce a 57-hour curfew over the weekend and nightly curfews during the week in efforts to help slow the spread. The Navajo Nation also issued an emergency order requiring all individuals to wear masks in public.

50 cases in Arizona prisons

The Arizona Department of Corrections' online dashboard said 50 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday. The 50 cases are at these five facilities: 35 in Florence, eight in Marana, five in Eyman, one in Tucson and one in Perryville.

The department had tested 210 inmates as of Wednesday, with 152 negative cases and eight pending out of a total population of 41,500.

A 79-year-old man with lung cancer became the second inmate in Arizona's prisons to die from COVID-19, the Associated Press reported. The inmate was housed at the prison in Florence and died at a Florence hospital of COVID-19 and lung cancer.

Both legal and nonlegal visitations have been suspended through May 13, at which point the department will reassess. The department said CenturyLink is giving inmates two additional 15-minute calls for free during each week visitation is restricted.

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

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