With more than 7,600 new cases reported today, the number of Arizonaâs confirmed novel coronavirus cases jumped by nearly 19,000 over the weekend and now stands higher than 461,000 as of Monday, Dec. 21, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 1,244 new cases today, has seen 60,360 of the stateâs 461,345 confirmed cases.
A total of 7,972 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 905 deaths in Pima County, according to the Dec. 21 report.Â
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide continues to soar as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly, putting stress on Arizonaâs hospitals and surpassing July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Dec. 20, 3,925 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, slightly lower than the new record of 4,014 set on Dec. 18. The previous peak of 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients was set on July 13; that number hit a subsequent low of 468 on Sept. 27.