PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Health Services recorded nearly 2,000 new coronavirus cases on its data dashboard Friday, the most in a single day since early March.
There were 1,965 cases recorded in the last 24 hours, along with 24 deaths.
ABC15 data analyst Garrett Archer says inpatient hospitalizations are up 18%, ICU is up 29%, and 46% of people in the ICU are on a ventilator.
The state is also seeing a noticeable increase of PCR tests and the positivity rate of tests is climbing as well, hitting a daily average of 13%.
Arizonans under age 44 make up 70% of the reported cases, while we are not seeing an increased infection rate in the most vulnerable population of 65 and older.
The number of reported COVID-19 cases has been increasing over the last several weeks as the more contagious delta variant spreads. The delta variant that’s now the dominant strain of coronavirus in the U.S. appears to be as transmissible as chickenpox, according to an internal document from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the CDC report, each infected person, on average, will infect eight or nine others.
The increase in cases also applies to younger age groups, including those headed back to school for the 2021-2022 school year.
Multiple cities around Arizona are again requiring masks on city properties to help reduce the spread of the virus.
Fastest-growing case count by zip code as of Friday, July 30:
| Zip Code | Cases This Week |
| 85132 | 159 |
| 85338 | 109 |
| 85383 | 96 |
| 85041 | 79 |
| 85326 | 79 |
| 85308 | 77 |
| 85142 | 76 |
| 85323 | 76 |
| 85281 | 72 |
| 85353 | 66 |