Arizona reports 207 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 15 deaths

PHOENIX — Arizona health officials report 207 new confirmed COVID-19 cases with 15 additional deaths as of Sunday.

The Arizona Department of Health Services says that raises the state's totals to 198,103 cases and 4,771 deaths as reports of infections and deaths continued to slow.

Of the more than 198,000 cases, authorities said nearly 132,000 of them have occurred in Maricopa County — the state's largest county that includes the Phoenix metro area.

COVID-19-related hospitalization metrics posted on the department's pandemic dashboard continued to trend downward and were at levels last seen in late May and early June before Arizona became a national hot spot.

New case and death reports have dropped since mid-July.

However, the number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested.

Studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.

For most people, COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a few weeks.

But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.