Maricopa County’s number of new COVID-19 cases skyrocketed on Friday, rising more than 60% from the previous day as the number of deaths continued at a high pace.

The county’s Department of Public Health reported 9,331 new cases on Jan. 8, bringing the total cases in Maricopa County to 373,397. Deaths were up 129 from the previous day and the total on Friday stood at 5,727.

The continued rising numbers have drastically pushed higher the seven-day rolling average for new cases and deaths during the past two weeks. The seven-day case average pushed up to 4,714 as of Dec. 31 as the county continues to revise data as new case counts come in.

Those case averages are higher as tests results from between Christmas and New Year’s continue to add to the county’s total.

Last week, county data show three days with more than 6,000 cases reported and a fourth with more than 5,000 cases.

As new cases have come in, it shows the county had two days prior to Christmas with more than 5,000 cases in a day, but those days are all higher than any during the summer surge.

The seven-day average for deaths stood at 54 as of Dec. 22, the latest day for which the county has available data. That number has risen dramatically since late October when it stood at less than 10 deaths per day.

Preliminary county data through New Year’s Day show continued high death reports, but so far slightly lower than average. Those numbers could change as reports come in. Death reports can lag behind new cases by two to three weeks or more.

Hospitalizations continue to rise sharply as well, standing at a seven-day average of 252 people admitted per day as of Dec. 24. Current data indicate that number will continue to rise as preliminary numbers for hospitalizations after Christmas was higher than before.

Hospitalizations are a key challenge regarding the virus in the Valley and state as increases in cases are straining the ability of the region’s health care infrastructure to deal with greater numbers.