Arizona reports 1,760 new COVID-19 cases, no new deaths

School nurses stretched thin amid nationwide staff shortage due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the nation, school nurses are being stretched thin. Several districts say trying to hire more staff is proving difficult. FOX's Stephanie Bennett reports.

PHOENIX - Arizona’s daily dashboard is reporting 1,760 new confirmed COVID-19 cases but no new deaths.

The latest figures from the state Department of Health Services came out on Oct. 11. They show the state has now seen 1,120,361 cases and 20,382 deaths from the coronavirus since the pandemic started over a year ago.

Hospitalizations of patients due to COVID-19 dipped slightly Sunday to 1,755.

During the current surge, daily reported increases in cases reached as high as 4,740 while daily reported increases in the death toll topped 100 three times and virus-related patient counts exceeded 2,000 for weeks.

Arizona’s seven-day rolling average of daily new cases continued to drop, from 2,467.1 on Sept. 23 to 2,321.7 as of Saturday. Meanwhile, the seven-day rolling average of daily deaths went from dropped from 51.1 to 30.9 in the same time period, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

More than 4.2 million people (59.4% of Arizona’s population) have received at least one dose of vaccine in Arizona with nearly 3.8 million residents fully vaccinated.

MORE: Coronavirus in Arizona: Latest case numbers

In order to protect yourself from a possible infection, the CDC recommends:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
Monitor your health daily

Symptoms for coronavirus COVID-19 include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. These, of course, are similar to the common cold and flu.

Expect a common cold to start out with a sore or scratchy throat, cough, runny and/or stuffy nose. Flu symptoms are more intense and usually come on suddenly, and can include a high fever.

Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear more slowly. They usually include fever, a dry cough and noticeable shortness of breath, according to the World Health Organization. A minority of cases develop pneumonia, and the disease is especially worrisome for the elderly and those with other medical problems such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or heart conditions.

To protect yourself, wash your hands well and often, keep them away from your face, and avoid crowds and standing close to people.

And if you do find yourself showing any of these flu or coronavirus symptoms - don't go straight to your doctor's office. That just risks making more people sick, officials urge. Call ahead, and ask if you need to be seen and where.