Arizona Now Up to Six Coronavirus Deaths, 401 Cases

Phoenix Children’s Hospital says one of its doctors has tested positive, while ASU says 15 of its students have the virus. 

Arizona has now surpassed 400 coronavirus cases, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Tuesday. 

The number of deaths from COVID-19 also increased by one, bringing the total to six in the state.

A majority of the cases – 251 – were in Maricopa County. Pima County had 49, while there were 37 in Navajo, 23 in Coconino, 23 in Pinal, seven in Apache, four in Yavapai, three in Yuma, two in Graham, and one each in Cochise and Santa Cruz. 

Private labs report 357 of the state’s 401 total cases, while 44 cases came from the state’s public lab. 

The state’s lab has tested 368 people, with 53 results pending. It’s unclear how many people in total have been tested in Arizona because private labs have not been reporting the number of administered tests – only their confirmed cases. But those numbers should be coming in soon, as Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order Monday requiring private labs to report the data.

PCH Doctor Tests Positive

Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) said Wednesday one of its physicians has tested positive for the virus.

The hospital said the doctor interacted with one patient Friday – the only patient he saw in person that week – and followed best practices during the visit. He began showing symptoms later that night while off duty. 

The doctor is recovering at home in isolation, the hospital said, and it’s believed he was infected in a “community setting.” 

PCH said it has notified family and staff members who may have been in contact with the doctor, but officials believe the likelihood of exposure is low. 

ASU Says 15 Students Test Positive

On Tuesday, Arizona State University said 15 students have tested positive. ASU President Michael Crow told The State Press that number includes students who have left the state and returned home. Only one of those students, who has a pre-existing condition, is hospitalized, he said. 

While the school has transitioned to online classes for the rest of the spring semester, its dorms and other campus facilities are still open to students. Crow said this will continue unless health officials order them closed. 

“We have lots of students, many thousands of students that have nowhere to live — this is where they live,” he said. “They can’t go back to their home; they can’t go back to their country. They’ve decided to stay here.”

The school has yet to make a decision on how it will handle graduation ceremonies scheduled for May.

For all your latest coronavirus news, sign up for our Courier Daily Coronavirus Updates newsletter.