New COVID-19 cases decrease in Arizona, expert says

Arizona recorded under 3,800 new cases of COVID-19, continuing a downward trend of positive cases. Deaths are not trending down, with 183 new COVID-related fatalities. Hospitalizations are showing an encouraging drop in emergency room visits, and in-patient and ICU admissions.

Will Humble, Executive Director of the Arizona Public Health Association, discussed the latest COVID-19 numbers.

Humble said a significant decrease in cases indicates that Arizona is on the downslope of COVID-19. The state recorded a decrease of 20,000 cases to 3,000 cases a day. According to Humble, this may not be fully accurate.

Due to the federal government’s launch of free COVID at-home COVID tests, people may not be reporting all positive cases. Overall, Humble said, “new cases are really dropping.”

Humble said the rate of transmission is .73.

In regards to hospitalizations, Humble said, “there’s fewer people in the hospital with COVID, especially in the ICU, but hospitals are still jam-packed.”

He said hospitals are playing catch-up with procedures that people could not get during the most recent COVID spike.

“Even though we’ve passed the peak in Omicron infections and probably passed the peak in new…hospitalizations, we’re not to the peak of the deaths from Omicron infections yet, that’s probably going to be mid to later part in the month,” Humble said.

He said the death rate is currently higher due to the delayed time frame of becoming infected, entering the hospital and progressing to the point of serious illness that could lead to death.