Arizona reports 3,506 additional COVID cases, 18 more deaths

City of Phoenix announces pause on COVID-19 vaccine mandate

City officials said on Dec. 7 that in light of a recent court ruling, they are pausing a mandate that would have required city employees to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January. FOX 10's Stephanie Bennett reports.

PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona on Dec. 8 reported 3,506 additional confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 18 more deaths as the number of hospitalized virus patients dipped slightly.

The latest figures posted on the Department of Health Services’ coronavirus dashboard increased Arizona’s pandemic totals to 1,301,597 cases and 22,779 deaths.

There were 2,753 virus patients occupying inpatient hospital beds as of Wednesday, down from 2,800 on Tuesday, the high so far during the current surge.

Hospitals statewide are crowded with both virus and non-virus patients. Only 6% of inpatient beds were available as of Tuesday, according to the dashboard.

The 18 deaths reported Wednesday were far below the 172 deaths added to the dashboard Tuesday.

However, Johns Hopkins University data showed Arizona’s seven-day rolling average of daily deaths rising over the past two weeks, increasing from 46.6 on Nov. 22 to 64.9 on Monday.

The rolling average of daily new cases also rose during the same period, increasing from about 3,964 to about 4,044.

Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine

Unvaccinated Arizonans 15 times more likely to die from coronavirus, report says

A new AZDHS report is re-enforcing what health officials have been preaching for nearly a year, that the COVID-19 vaccine is your best option to keep from getting the disease. The report found that Arizonans who chose not to get the vaccine are 15 times more likely to die from COVID-19. It also found that the delta variant remains the dominant strain in Arizona.

A new AZDHS report is re-enforcing what health officials have been preaching for nearly a year, that the COVID-19 vaccine is your best option to keep from getting the disease.

The report found that Arizonans who chose not to get the vaccine are 15 times more likely to die from COVID-19. It also found that the delta variant remains the dominant strain in Arizona.

The report looked at cases dating back to late June.

MORE: Coronavirus in Arizona: Latest case numbers

MAP: Arizona Coronavirus cases by zip code