YUMA, AZ — The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 2,476 new COVID-19 cases this past week.
It’s less than one-tenth of 1% of the total 2.5 million cases recorded in the state. Two new deaths were also added, less than one-hundredth of a percent of the 33,731 who died mainly in the first two years of the pandemic.
Confirmed case figures have remained low this year due to the prevalence of milder COVID-19 variants and widespread at-home test availability.
Despite low case numbers, however, there are signs of COVID-19 clusters popping up in regions of the state.
Thirty-eight percent of wastewater testing sites detected a range of double to 10x the amount of viral shed in the past 15 days. One-quarter of sites found viral shed levels rose over ten-fold.
The sites with the highest levels are centered in Yuma County, indicating a growing COVID-19 cluster is likely present there. The state is also seeing a slight rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Federal data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported 228 hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients late last week. Comparing the data for all of last year shows the state is likely nearing a point when COVID-19 hospitalizations will have a seasonal spike which should peak in December.
The good news is COVID-19 deaths continue to trend downward.
The state has reported weekly death numbers in the single digits since early July. This has brought the four-week average down into single digits as well. The hope is even amid a seasonal COVID-19 spike, this trend will continue.
