Arizona Coronavirus Death Total Passes 16K, New Cases Decline

ARIZONA — Over 16,000 Arizonans have died from the coronavirus as of Tuesday, the state reported.

To date, approximately 16,060 of the state's residents have died of the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. Arizona passed the sobering milestone Tuesday when it reported 81 additional deaths and 849 new cases of the virus, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

However, that daily number of confirmed cases was the smallest the state has reported in over three months and the number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations continues to drop.

As of Monday, the state said that 1,202 coronavirus patients occupied Arizona hospital beds — the lowest number since Nov. 7 and down from the record of 5,802 set on Jan. 11.

The news comes as Arizona continues to ramp up its vaccination efforts. The state now boasts four state-run mass vaccination sites and a Yuma County official said Monday that it could see a fifth in mid-March at the Yuma Civic Center.

The Yuma Sun reported that the county's emergency management director, Tony Badilla, met on Friday with state and city officials to coordinate a potential vaccination site.

State health officials also announced Monday it will expand Arizona's age eligibility to those 55 and up at two of its state-run sites in Phoenix — State Farm Stadium and Phoenix Municipal Stadium — starting Tuesday. It also released guidelines for counties hoping to transition to the next vaccination phase.

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.