Pima County, which reported 1,336 new cases today, has seen 79,190 of the state’s 596,251 confirmed cases. A total of 9,938 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 1,216 deaths in Pima County, according to the Jan. 8 report. The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide continues to soar as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly, putting stress on Arizona’s hospitals and surpassing July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Jan. 7, 4,907 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, a slight drop from yesterday’s record 4,920. The summer peak of 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients was set on July 13; that number hit a subsequent low of 468 on Sept. 27, or less than a tenth of the current count.