Arizona again reports more than 1,000 additional COVID cases

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona on Tuesday reported over 1,000 additional known coronavirus cases for the second time in a week as the state's seven-day rolling average of new cases continued to increase.

The state Department of Health Services reported 1,040 additional cases and seven additional deaths, increasing the statewide totals to 232,937 cases and 5,837 deaths.

The state's rolling average of daily new cases rose over the past two weeks from 508.6 new cases on Oct. 5 to 835.3 on Oct. 19, according to Johns Hopkins University data analyzed by The Associated Press.

The rolling average of daily deaths dropped from 12 per day to 10 during the same period as the rolling average of Arizona's positivity rate rose from 6.6% to 8.9%.

Arizona was a national hotspot in July and July. A subsequent dramatic decline in new daily cases and COVID-related hospitalizations apparently ended last month, and gradual increases have been reported since then.

Arizona reported 1,113 additional cases on Oct. 15 and the number of additional cases reported daily since then ranged between 738 and 921. During the summer, the number of cases collected on one day peaked at 5,465 on June 29.

The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The vast majority of people recover.