Arizona reports increase in COVID-19 cases, deaths high after 2-day hiatus

Delta variant begins to slow, but Arizona not out of woods yet

Hospitalizations are still high and the virus is still killing dozens of Arizonans every day. Former state health director and current head of the Arizona Public Health Association, Will Humble, talks about the direction cases are going.

PHOENIX - Arizona on Oct. 19 reported unusually high numbers of 5,660 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and 174 more virus deaths as the state’s dashboard caught up on reporting some pandemic metrics after a two-day hiatus for a system update.

After releasing no reports Sunday or Monday for additional cases and deaths, the Department of Health Services’ dashboard reported that the state’s pandemic totals rose to 1,137,636 cases and 20,674 deaths.

COVID-19-related hospitalizations topped 1,700 for the first time in five days as 1,703 virus patients occupied hospital beds on Monday, the dashboard reported.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases dropped from 2,601 new cases per day on Oct. 3 to 1,659.3 new cases per day on Sunday, which was the first of the two days that the state didn’t report additional cases.

The rolling average of daily deaths dropped from 46.4 to 20.7 during the same period.

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.