PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona on Thursday reported 60 additional deaths from COVID-19 and 1,835 more newly confirmed cases after three straight days of fewer than 1,000 cases.
The latest figures increased the state’s pandemic totals to 830,465 cases and 16,464 deaths.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, Arizona’s seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases and new deaths dropped over the past two weeks.
The rolling average of daily new cases dropped from 1,559 on Feb. 23 to 1,239.4 as of Tuesday, while the rolling average of daily deaths declined from 105.5 to 52.8 during the same period.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
In other developments:
- Phoenix plans to start returning thousands of municipal workers to their offices later this month.
City officials said they based their plan on state health benchmarks and guidelines. The transition will happen in three phases, with all employees expected back in the office by the end of the summer, azfamily.com reported.
In a letter distributed to city workers, Human Resources Director Lori Bays described the city’s plan to transition some of its nearly 15,000 employees back to their desks downtown at City Hall by March 29.
Dr. Ross Goldberg, president of the Arizona Medical Association, recommended caution.
“You need to space things out, have some people work at home one day, come in the next day,” he said.
- The Prescott City Council has approved an application process for large local health care providers to receive up to $100,000 each for the costs of administering COVID-19 vaccinations, The Daily Courier reported.
Eligibility requirements for the process approved Tuesday include vaccination rates of at least 2,000 people per week on average and providing proof of the costs.
Spectrum Healthcare and Yavapai Regional Medical Center appeared to be eligible for the funding, officials said.
Funding will come from city general fund money freed up by allocating federal relief funds to pay for pandemic responses by emergency personnel.
- Dignity Health’s Arizona hospitals on Thursday will mark the one-year anniversary since COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic. The health care provider said staff will be able to take time to reflect through outdoor services, wish trees, prayer cards and candle lightings. Hospitals will also be lit in blue to honor all frontline health care workers.
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