PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona health officials on Friday reported 89 additional deaths from the coronavirus as a rise in fatalities that began early in July shows no sign of easing.
The state Health Services Department said the new deaths bring the statewide tally since the first one was reported in March to 3,142. The state also reported 3,349 new cases, putting total confirmed cases at 156,301.
Hospitalizations for the virus have dropped significantly in the past two weeks, with 2,844 people being treated as of Thursday. That’s down from the July 13 peak of 3,517 people. The number of people being cared for in intensive care units has also fallen significantly.
The decline was the first sustained drop in new cases since Gov. Doug Ducey imposed orders a month ago closing gyms, nightclubs and bars, and face-mask orders by local governments started to be issued. The Republican governor said Thursday he would extend those closure orders indefinitely.
“There’s no victory lap today. There’s no celebration,” Ducey said at his weekly virus briefing. “We cannot let up –- we need to be vigilant every day in the state of Arizona.”
Ducey allowed local governments in June to impose requirements for face masks in public spaces, and 90% of the state’s population is now covered by those orders. Ducey pointed to the closure and mask orders as leading to a drop in new cases in the past two weeks for the first time in months.
The governor on Thursday also pulled back on his earlier aim to have schools fully reopen by Aug. 17. He’s instead requiring them to provide in-person options for children who need a place to go or specialized instruction.
The Health Services Department will develop a series of scientific guidelines that school districts can use to determine when it is safe to fully reopen.
The health department on Friday released extensive guidelines gyms will have to comply with when they are eventually allowed to reopen. They include limiting capacity to 50%, a mask mandate, spacing out exercise equipment, closing locker rooms and a raft of other requirements.
The number of actual infections in Arizona and elsewhere is thought to be much higher because many people have not been tested. Studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
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