PHOENIX — Arizona’s struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic hit some significant milestones Friday, including surpassing 1,000 deaths.
MAP: Coronavirus cases in Arizona by zip code
The Arizona Department of Health Services, the state agency monitoring COVID-19 numbers, reports that 1,012 Arizonans have now died from the disease. They also reported Friday an additional 1,579 people have tested positive, the most ever reported in one day.
According to state health officials, this high case number can be attributed to the record number of PCR, or diagnostic tests, that came in -- 14,110.
The percentage of Arizonans that are testing positive for the disease has ticked upwards for the past week, a sign that many health experts are not encouraged by.
Maricopa Co Health Dir: There is an "increased spread" of COVID-19 in community.
— Steve Irvin (@Steve_Irvin) June 5, 2020
DEATHS
The 1,012 Arizonans that are recorded to have died from COVID-19 have done so over the course of the entire pandemics reporting period, starting in the middle of March
The chart below shows the timing of deaths in the state, along with a seven-day moving average (yellow line). Deaths tend to have a wider reporting lag and will be added to the curve more slowly than cases or tests.
Arizona’s peak day of COVID-19 deaths occurred on April 20. Deaths have remained relatively stable since early April, with the seven-day moving average peaking in early May and going back to early April levels.
CASES AND TESTS
Most of the record number of COVID-19 cases reported Friday had an infection date in the past seven days.
This has caused the seven-day average to surge upwards, pointing to increased transmissions since the lifting of the governor’s stay-at-home order.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
Hospitalization numbers for COVID-19 are also reaching record levels in a few metrics.
The state reports, which come directly from the hospitals, show record numbers of COVID-19 patients utilizing general hospital beds (1,234), as well as emergency room visits (718). Intensive care unit beds have remained level for the past week.
The state’s hospital systems report that 5,174 COVID-19 patients have been discharged since the pandemic began.