Arizona health officials Sunday reported the state’s highest-ever number of new known coronavirus infections.
The new tally of more than 17,200 cases eclipsed the previous record of about 12,000 daily positives set in early December. A Department of Health Services spokesperson tells the Arizona Republic the recent spike could be due to Christmas gatherings and a lag in reporting over the holiday weekend.
Officials Monday reported more than 5,100 new cases and three more deaths amid a major surge in Arizona. Overall hospitalizations have reached record highs and only 7% of intensive care unit beds in the state are available, also a high for the state.
Officials say 54% of in-patient hospitalizations across the state are COVID-19 related.
In total, Arizona has now seen 561,542 COVID-19 cases and 9,064 deaths since the pandemic began.
