Arizona's Department of Health Services reported 17,234 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, toppling the state's previous one-day record of 12,314 new cases set Dec. 8, 2020.
No new coronavirus-related deaths were reported Sunday, but the pandemic has killed at least 9,061 Arizonans since it began nearly a year ago.
Arizona’s not alone in this post-holiday surge. Multiple states from North Carolina to California are reporting record case numbers. California led the nation on Sunday for highest per-capita cases of COVID-19, but Arizona was not far behind with the fourth-highest rate nationwide: 85.1 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nationwide, the COVID-19 death toll has now surpassed 350,000 people, as experts anticipate another surge in coronavirus cases and deaths stemming from holiday gatherings over Christmas and New Year’s.
Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows the U.S. passed the threshold early Sunday morning. More than 20 million people in the country have been infected. The U.S. has begun using two coronavirus vaccines to protect health care workers and nursing home residents and staff, but the rollout of the inoculation program has been criticized as being slow and chaotic.
The U.S. by far has reported the most deaths from COVID-19 in the world, followed by Brazil, which has reported more than 195,000 deaths.
