When Maricopa County resumed reports for new COVID-19 cases, data showed an average increase more than 5,700 daily over the four days beginning with New Year’s Day.

The county, which updates its case counts mornings Tuesday through Saturday, reported 22,966 cases since its last report on Jan. 1. That brings the total cases reported in the county to 353,848 since the coronavirus pandemic began last year.

The number of deaths also was up over the four days by 142, with the county total now standing at 5,375.
The county and state have seen a significant spike in COVID-19 cases following Thanksgiving, and that number was significantly higher the week of Christmas, according to data from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.

The rolling seven-day average for cases hit a new all-time high of 4,635 per day on Dec. 31 as the county reported three days of more than 6,300 cases daily. Prior to that, the county had not seen a day with more than 5,000 cases.

Deaths on a seven-day average also are at their highest point in the pandemic, with 47 people dying per day as of Dec. 19, the latest day for which the county has the average. Deaths tend to lag behind reports of new cases by two to three weeks.

Hospitalizations also have eclipsed summer highs for the first time as of mid-December with a seven-day average of about 230 people being admitted each day as of Dec. 21.

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.