In a grim milestone, Arizona has now seen more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19. Positive cases of the virus have continued to climb since the governor began to reopen the state in mid-May.
Arizona is 25th among states when it comes to deaths per 1,000,000 residents, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation as of Friday.
State data show deaths by day appear to be declining since a peak on April 30. But cases appear to be rising, with several record days for new positive tests reported since late May.
Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said in a news conference Thursday that a changed approach to testing accounts for the increase.
“It’s not unexpected, especially as we are targeting some of those higher, more vulnerable areas, including higher numbers of long-term care, higher numbers of correctional officers,” Christ said.
When the governor announced plans to begin reopening the state, about 5% of tests were coming back positive. The most recent week reported shows a 10% positive rate. More recent data may be incomplete.
