Arizona Has Highest Rate Of Coronavirus Spread In U.S., World

ARIZONA — The latest data show that Arizona has the highest rate of coronavirus spread in the U.S. —and in the world.

As of Monday afternoon, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a model that uses data from Johns Hopkins University put Arizona's infection rate at 121.8 per 100,000 people. In comparison, California has recorded a rate of 97.1 new cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days. The U.S. average for new cases, according to the CDC, is 64.7 cases per 100,000 people.

The model using Johns Hopkins data compares infection rates across the world. Created by a professor at the University of Illinois, it shows Arizona at the top, closely followed by Czechia, which boasts the highest new coronavirus infections of any sovereign state with 93.4 cases per 100,000 people. The U.S. rate is the sixth highest of any country tracking the spread of the virus.

Arizona added 5,916 new coronavirus cases and 253 deaths Tuesday. The state reached more than 17,200 new cases Sunday, setting a new daily record. 92 percent of Arizona's hospital beds are full.

Health experts have attributed the state's surge in cases to holiday gatherings, and more is expected in the aftermath of Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Arizona does not currently have a statewide mask mandate in place, though most counties have their own. Bars, restaurants and gyms are open with limited capacity. Critics of Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey have said these mitigation efforts don't go far enough.

"I probably sound like a broken record- but I feel compelled to say again that the situation we now find ourselves in is not because of fate as the governor and state health director suggest," Will Humble, Arizona Public Health Association director, wrote in a Dec. 30 blog post. "It is largely because they have been unwilling to implement evidence-based interventions this fall including authentic enforcement of the existing 'required' mitigation measures for bars, restaurants and nightclubs. A requirement without enforcement is merely a suggestion."

The latest data comes as the coronavirus vaccine begins its initial rollout across the state. Pinal County is the only one of Arizona's 15 counties currently vaccinating people in Phase 1B, which includes educators, first responders and people over the age of 75. All other counties are still in the thick of Phase 1A, which includes health care workers and long-term care facility residents.

Phase 1B is set to begin in most counties in the next two weeks.