December now worst month of 2020 for COVID-19 infections

By Dan Engler

Originally Published: December 17, 2020 9:24 a.m.

A little more than two weeks into December and already the Yuletide month has become the most COVID-19 infectious of 2020.

December is also on pace to be the second-worst month in 2020 for COVID-19 deaths.

Thursday’s report from the Arizona Department of Health Services shows 5,817 new cases and 147 deaths in the past day. That pushes December’s cumulative tally to 97,857 positive tests and 990 deaths.

Cumulatively since testing began in January, ADHS has documented 435,036 positive tests for coronavirus and 7,677 COVID-19 deaths.

With December’s positivity rate often surging past 30%, the state’s cumulative positive-test ratio has climbed to 11.3%. Arizona hospital intensive care unit bed capacity has now reached its highest level of the year with 92% of the state’s ICU beds currently occupied as of Thursday morning, according to the ADHS COVID-19 data dashboard. Verde Valley Medical Center in Cottonwood reported Thursday morning it has admitted 26 COVID-19 patients; 49 at Flagstaff Medical Center.

COVID-19 cases and deaths by month

-12,475 cases and 597 deaths in May.

-63,920 cases and 803 deaths in June.

-92,930 cases and 1,977 deaths in July.

-25,307 cases and 1,297 deaths in August.

-16,361 cases and 600 deaths in September.

-28,216 cases and 306 deaths in October.

-89,658 cases and 733 deaths in November.

-So far in December, 97,857 cases and 990 deaths.

Arizona’s daily average for new COVID-19 cases, by month

-May, 415 new cases each day.

-June, 2,130 new cases each day.

-July, 2,997 new cases each day.

-August, 816 cases each day.

-September, 545 cases each day.

-October, 910 cases each day.

-November, 2,988 cases each day.

-So far in December, 6,116 cases each day.

Demographic breakdown of Arizona cases

The Thursday morning ADHS data shows the 65-and-older age group has accounted for 5,568 of the state’s 7,677 deaths. There have been 1,177 deaths reported among people 55-64 years of age.

ADHS reports women contract the virus in higher numbers than men in Arizona (52%), but more men than women die from COVID-19 (57%).

Location of cases

Maricopa County continues to dominate the state’s concentration of COVID-19 cases with 269,744 since testing began.

Current cumulative caseload totals in Arizona include:

-Pima County has 55,801 cases.

-Yuma County, 23,550 cases.

-Pinal County, 22,926 cases.

-Navajo County, 10,030 cases.

-Coconino County, 9,595 cases.

-Mohave County, 9,254 cases.

-Yavapai County, 8,696 cases.

Testing data

ADHS reports 2.96 million Arizonans have been tested for COVID-19 with the state’s positive test ratio at 11.3%.

People between the ages of 20 and 44 have had the highest number of positive tests (198,775), with 404 deaths. Seniors 65-and-older have tested positive 53,011 times with 5,568 deaths.

See www.azdhs.gov.

Yavapai County

Yavapai County and Verde Valley data will be updated when that information becomes available later today.

Hospital Reports

Verde Valley Medical Center Thursday reported 26 COVID-positive patients admitted. The Cottonwood hospital showed a census of 67 patients with six in critical care.

Flagstaff Medical Center reported 49 positive tests with 10 results pending. FMC has admitted 217 patients; 38 of those patients are in critical care.

See nahealth.com/covid-19-resources.

U.S. and global totals

The most recent estimates of U.S. and global cases of COVID-19 put the U.S. cumulative caseload at 17 million Thursday morning, with the U.S. death tally at 308,000, the highest of any nation in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.

More Americans have now died from COVID-19 than the death tallies from the 1957-58 Asian Flu pandemic (116,000 U.S. deaths) and the 1968 Hong Kong Flu pandemic (100,000 U.S. deaths). It still pales in comparison to the death count from the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic that claimed 675,000 American lives, and at least 50 million worldwide.

AIDS claims about 13,000 U.S. lives each year.

There are an estimated 74.2 million cases worldwide cumulatively, with 1.65 million deaths and 42 million recoveries.

COVID-19 confirmed cases in Arizona

Dec. 12, 402,599 cases

Dec. 4, 352,101cases

Nov. 23, 302,323 cases

Nov. 4, 250,633 cases

Aug. 27, 200,139 cases

July 22, 150,609 cases

July 6 101,441 cases

July 3 91,858 cases

July 1 84,092 cases