1,413 Coronavirus Cases Confirmed in Arizona, 29 People Have Died

Over 1,400 people in Arizona now have tested positive for COVID-19 as the state ramps up testing and braces for the number of positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths to keep climbing in the coming weeks.

At a press conference last week, state Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said COVID-19 cases in Arizona are expected to peak in mid-April, while hospitalizations will be highest in May. Worst-case-scenario projections analyzed by Christ and DHS also show that Arizona could need an additional 16,000 hospital beds and 1,500 more ICU beds — almost double what currently is available.

As of Wednesday morning, 1,413 coronavirus cases and 29 deaths have been confirmed in Arizona, according to the agency. The actual number of people infected with COVID-19 in Arizona likely is much higher, since DHS has instructed providers not to test everyone who wants to get tested, citing a lack of available tests.

On Monday, Governor Doug Ducey issued a stay-at-home order, but his extremely broad list of "essential services" means relatively few people will be required to stay at home.

Meanwhile, as cases within the Navajo Nation continue to rise, with over 174 cases and seven deaths in the Nation and counting, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez issued an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. curfew on Sunday, requiring all residents to remain in their homes during curfew hours except in the event of an emergency.

A majority of Arizona's coronavirus cases are in Maricopa County, which has 871 cases to date. One-hundred and fifty-eight people have been hospitalized in Maricopa County. Fifty-eight people are in the intensive care unit. Eleven people have died — three more since yesterday.

Pima County has the second-highest concentration of cases among counties, with 217. Eight of the 29 people who have died from COVID-19 so far in the state are from Pima. Twenty-four residents and three employees of the Sapphire of Tucson Nursing and Rehabilitation center tested positive for the virus, KOLD News 13 reported on Monday.

Here's a breakdown of Arizona's known coronavirus cases by county:

• 871 in Maricopa (+83 since Tuesday)
• 217 in Pima (+15 since Tuesday)
• 102 in Navajo (+11 since Tuesday)
• 85 in Coconino (+4 since Tuesday)
• 65 in Pinal (+3 since Tuesday)
• 24 in Yavapai (+3 since Tuesday)
• 17 in Apache (+1 since Tuesday)
• 12 in Yuma (+3 since Tuesday)
• 7 in Mohave
• 4 in Cochise
• 3 in Santa Cruz (+1 since Tuesday)
• 2 in La Paz
• 2 in Graham
• 1 in Greenlee
• 1 in Gila

As of Wednesday morning, the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory and commercial labs have tested 21,058 people in Arizona for COVID-19 (that's an additional 1,687 tests since Tuesday). Over 13,000 people in Maricopa County (which has a population of 4.3 million) have been tested. Arizona has a population of nearly 7.2 million, meaning to date, 0.29 percent of Arizona's population has been tested for the virus.

The United States now has more coronavirus cases than any other country in the world, with over 205,000 positive cases nationwide. Nearly 84,000 of those cases are in New York alone.