Arizona reports 2,391 new COVID-19 cases but no deaths

West Valley remembers activist who died from COVID complications

Linda Cutright was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to her family, but suffered a breakthrough case that later took her life. FOX 10's Nicole Garcia reports,

PHOENIX - Arizona is reporting fewer than 3,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time in nearly two weeks.

The state coronavirus dashboard on Dec. 13 reported 2,391 additional confirmed cases. But there were no new virus-related deaths.

The lower figures might partially be attributed to a lag in reporting figures on the weekends.

Still, the numbers are a marked drop. For the last 12 days, Arizona health officials had found more than 3,000 cases daily.

Now the state’s pandemic total number of cases is 1,318,580. The number of deaths remains 23,040.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 remained about the same with 2,688 patients as of Sunday. The number of hospitalized remain far below the pandemic peak of 5,082 last January. Still, hospitals are more crowded because of large numbers of patients being treated for non-virus-related reasons.

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.