Arizona reports most additional COVID-19 deaths since February

Arizona hospitals dealing with double virus surge

Besides the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals in Arizona are also dealing with a surge in RSV cases. FOX 10's Nicole Garcia reports.

PHOENIX - Arizona on Sept. 14 report 117 additional deaths from COVID-19, the most in a single day since last February during the winter surge.

The additional deaths and 2,609 additional confirmed cases reported Tuesday on the state’s coronavirus dashboard increased the state’s pandemic totals to 19,304 deaths and 1,055,487 cases.

Arizona’s daily deaths reports often are larger early in the week due to reporting delays over the weekend, a trend cited by Department of Health Services spokesman Steve Elliott when asked about Tuesday’s large deaths report.

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Also, deaths from multiple dates are included in daily reports and additions of deaths will fluctuate due to how processing occurs within the department, Elliott said.

The additional deaths reported Tuesday were twice as many were reported the previous Tuesday and four times the state’s latest seven-day rolling daily average reported by Johns Hopkins University.

However, the rolling average of deaths increased only slightly during the past two weeks, rising from 26.7 on Aug. 29 to 26.9 as of Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins.

During the past two weeks, the number of virus-related hospitalizations remained above 2,000, with 2,090 COVID-19 patients occupying hospital beds as of Monday, according to the state’s dashboard.

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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

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.