PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona health officials on Saturday reported a daily record 147 additional deaths from the coronavirus and 2,742 additional confirmed cases but said both numbers reflected unusual circumstances.
The Department of Health Services said the additional deaths included 106 newly attributed to COVID-19 after health officials’ latest periodic reviews of death certificates and that the additional cases did not include figures from a laboratory that missed the reporting cutoff.
The missed data on additional cases will be reported Sunday, the department said.
The number of additional deaths reported in the previous six days ranged from 8 to 97, while the number of additional confirmed cases reported during the same period ranged from 1,357 to 4,273.
The additional deaths reported Saturday increased the statewide total to 2,730 while the number of confirmed cases rose to 141,265. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
While the daily reports of additional deaths don’t indicate when those reported deaths occurred, date-by-date data released Saturday indicated the current high for occurrences was on July 7 with 66 deaths.
COVID-19-related hospitalization figures as of Friday were near but below recent records set after Arizona became a national hot spot following Gov. Doug Ducey’s lifting of stay-home orders and other restrictions in May.
Ducey last month reversed himself and authorized local governments to impose masking requirements, and many have done so to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Ducey’s own recent messaging has promoted use of masks, social distancing and hand washing.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
In other developments:
- Grand Canyon University announced that it would begin the fall semester with three weeks of online-only classes before beginning in-person classes with an option for online instruction for the remainder of the semester.
The new format is a reversal of a previous plan to have classes start in-person and then switch to an all-online format after Thanksgiving.
Other changes intended to help respond to Arizona’s surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations include holding more activities and possibly some classes outdoors when the summer heat is past, the university said.
- Scottsdale Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane has extended to Aug. 20 the city’s order requiring most people to wear face coverings when in most public areas.
“I speak regularly to health care leaders in Scottsdale, who tell me that the stress on our hospital resources is substantial, and we certainly can’t afford for it to get worse,” said Lane, whose latest proclamation Friday extends a June 18 proclamation that was to expire Monday.
- The Flagstaff Unified School District decided Thursday night to delay the start of in-person classes at schools until at least Oct. 9 and to instead begin the 2020-21 school year with only online instruction.
“Making this decision now provides more certainty about the start of the school year, and enables staff to focus solely on preparing for high quality remote and distance learning,” said Superintendent Michael Penca.
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