For the first time since April, Arizona officials have reported fewer than 100 new coronavirus cases as the state’s counts continue to decline.
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 81 new cases Tuesday, attributing two recent deaths at least in part to the virus. The last time the state reported fewer than 100 new cases was April 10, when ADHS announced 94.
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Since the first case surfaced in March, Arizona has confirmed 206,045 people infected with COVID-19. They attribute 5,221 deaths caused in some way to the virus.
The state’s Rt, or R-naught, is 0.92. The Rt is an estimate of how much the virus is spreading. Anything below 1.0 indicates the spread of the virus is slowing.
The state’s seven-day rolling percentage of tests to come back positive now sits at 4 percent, though Johns Hopkins Hospital estimates the state’s rate is 7 percent. The statistic is widely seen as a benchmark used in policies that have guided closure and reopening decisions. In Arizona, the figure is now in its eighth week of a downward trend.
In partnership with private laboratories, the state has conducted 1.2 million PCR tests, reporting 3,203 new tests Tuesday.
Hospitalization rates continue to slide as well. ADHS reports 76 percent of ICU beds are in use, 40 percent of emergency room beds are occupied. Only 29 percent of available respirators are in use. Most who get COVID-19 are not hospitalized and often make full recoveries.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has declined to implement a statewide mask mandate, instead opting for local governments to impose their own, and many did.
