Arizona increase of COVID cases boosted by records cleanup
PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona on March 31 reported 733 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and 26 more deaths but officials said about 200 of the additional cases were from records cleanups involving cases occurring over the entire pandemic.
The state’s pandemic totals increased to 841,811 cases and 16,967 deaths, according to the state’s coronavirus dashboard.
Of the 733 additional cases, 202 were cases newly reported for Apache and Navajo counties in northeastern Arizona after officials reviewed records provided by neighboring New Mexico where facilities tested or treated Arizona residents, Department of Health Services spokesman Steve Elliott said.
Arizona’s seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases dropped from 868.3 on March 15 to 547.7 two weeks later on Monday while the average of daily deaths dropped from 35.4 to 20.4 during the same period, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
Coronavirus in Arizona: Latest case numbers
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