Arizona has over 3K more COVID-19 cases for 3rd straight day

Children ages 5 to 11 receiving smaller doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

CDC's Director gave the final approval on Nov. 2, after an advisory panel unanimously recommended kids aged 5-11 should get the shot. Some doctors in the Phoenix area were already ready to get kids vaccinated against a virus that has disrupted lives for more than a year. FOX 10's Bailey Miller reports.

PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona on Saturday reported over 3,000 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases for the third straight day as virus-related hospitalizations reached their highest level since late September.

The state Department of Health Services’ coronavirus dashboard reported 3,592 additional cases and 60 deaths, increasing the state’s pandemic totals to 1,186,477 cases and 21,408 deaths.

As of Friday, 1,904 COVID-19 patients occupied hospital inpatient beds, the most since 1,933 on Sept. 20.

Virus-related hospitalizations during this fall’s surge peaked at 2,103 on Sept. 11. Hospitalizations then dropped to a low of 1,663 on Oct. 15 before starting to gradually rise again.

COVID-related emergency room visits on Friday totaled 1,623, the most since Sept. 29.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Arizona rose over the past two weeks, increasing from 2,243.1 on Oct. 21 to 2,809.7 on Thursday.

The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Arizona dropped during the same period, decreasing from 47 to 36.00.