PHOENIX — Arizona's pandemic death toll on Thursday passed the grim milestone of 25,000 fatalities as hospitals statewide remained crowded with coronavirus patients.
The Department of Health Services reported 10 additional COVID-19 deaths, raising the pandemic's death toll to 25,002.
Today Arizona surpasses 25k #covid19 deaths. Some milestone numbers by date:
— The AZ - abc15 - Data Guru (@Garrett_Archer) January 13, 2022
1/13/22:25k
12/28/22:24k
11/27/22: 22k
10/1/22: 20k
7/6/21: 18k
3/2/21: 16k
2/17/21: 15k
1/9/21: 10k
8/29/20: 5k
6/5/20: 1k
The department acknowledged the milestone on Twitter while urging Arizonans to protect themselves and their communities by getting vaccinated, staying home if sick and wearing masks and distancing while indoors.
An 11-day string of daily increases ended as COVID-19-related hospitalizations dropped slightly, with 2,920 virus patients occupying inpatients as of Wednesday.
The Arizona Department of Health Services has requested more federal assistance in Arizona, including inside Valley hospitals.
A spokesperson for ADHS said on Thursday that they made several more requests this month to federal officials including asking for paramedic teams inside inpatient hospitals. Those hospital requests would be for Banner New River, Valleywise, Arizona General Laveen, Abrazo Central Campus and Scottsdale Osborn.
Along with that request, state health officials requested:
- Submitted 1/7/22 (all pending)
- FEMA ICATT team to administer testing in Maricopa County - 2,000 test daily throughput
- Testing supplies - 500K OTC rapid test kits, 250K CLIA rapid test kits
- Submitted 1/6/22 (all pending)
- 2 administrative staff to support MAB teams at NAH sites (1 Coconino, 1 Yavapai)
- 2 teams of 10 paramedics each to support ED and med-surg staffing in inpatient hospitals: Kingman Regional, WARMC
- Submitted 1/5/22
- 2 week extension of the paramedic teams in Yuma and Canyon Vista (approved)
- Federal vaccination teams for Pima and Yuma counties (pending)