Arizona reports 3,247 new COVID-19 cases but no deaths

Surprise couple recounts COVID-19 battle as Arizona surprises 1 million cases

Jim Kalweit's wife, Kimberly, spent several weeks in the hospital during her COVID battle, and at one point, Jim thought he wife would not make it. FOX 10's Irene Snyder reports.

PHOENIX - Arizona health officials are reporting 3,247 new COVID-19 cases.

The state dashboard on Aug. 30, however, showed no new deaths related to the virus.

Arizona last week was on a five-day streak of reporting more than 3,000 cases a day until a dip Sunday to just a little over 2,000 cases.

The latest numbers increased the state’s totals to 1,011,101 cases and 18,787 known deaths since the pandemic began more than a year ago.

MORE: Coronavirus in Arizona: Latest case numbers

Cases and hospitalizations have been climbing steadily since early July mostly due to the highly transmissible delta variant, according to public health experts. As of Sunday, 1,983 patients were hospitalized for COVID-19.

The state’s latest data shows more than 3.5 million people in the eligible population are fully vaccinated. More than 4 million — or 55.9% — have received at least one vaccine dose.

MORE: Find COVID-19 vaccine locations in your area

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.