Arizona reports 3,686 additional COVID-19 cases, 143 deaths

Gov. Ducey signs order banning vaccine mandates for government employees

The order does not allow the state, counties or cities to implement COVID-19 vaccine requirements for employees, but health care institutions are exempt from the rule.

PHOENIX - Arizona on Friday reported over 3,000 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases for the 14th time this month along with 143 more virus deaths as hospitals remained crowded across the state.

The 3,686 additional cases and the additional deaths increased the state’s pandemic totals to 1,330,594 cases and 23,487 deaths, according to the Department of Health Services’ coronavirus dashboard.

The dashboard reported that 2,569 virus patients occupied inpatient beds statewide as of Thursday. That’s below the current wave’s peak of 2,800 earlier this month but still enough to leave just 5% of licensed beds statewide unoccupied.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, Arizona’s seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases and daily deaths both rose over the past two weeks.

The rolling average of new cases increased from 3,051.1 on Dec. 1 to 3,092.6 on Wednesday while the rolling average of daily deaths rose from 30 to 70 during the same period.

MORE: Coronavirus in Arizona: Latest case numbers

In order to protect yourself from a possible infection, the CDC recommends:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
Monitor your health daily

More COVID-19 in Arizona news

Symptoms for coronavirus COVID-19 include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. These, of course, are similar to the common cold and flu.

Expect a common cold to start out with a sore or scratchy throat, cough, runny and/or stuffy nose. Flu symptoms are more intense and usually come on suddenly, and can include a high fever.

Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear more slowly. They usually include fever, a dry cough and noticeable shortness of breath, according to the World Health Organization. A minority of cases develop pneumonia, and the disease is especially worrisome for the elderly and those with other medical problems such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or heart conditions.

To protect yourself, wash your hands well and often, keep them away from your face, and avoid crowds and standing close to people.

And if you do find yourself showing any of these flu or coronavirus symptoms - don't go straight to your doctor's office. That just risks making more people sick, officials urge. Call ahead, and ask if you need to be seen and where.

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