The Latest: Arizona reports more deaths, fewer virus cases

PHOENIX — Arizona reported more than 100 daily coronavirus deaths for the second time since February.

The 108 confirmed deaths and 2,742 new coronavirus cases were reported Saturday. Hospitalizations dropped below 2,000 for the first time in nearly three weeks, with 1,981 COVID-19 patients occupying hospital beds on Friday.

That’s down from the current surge’s high of 2,103 on Sept. 11.

Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins University data showed drops in the seven-day rolling averages of daily cases and deaths in the past two weeks. The daily cases dropped from 3,152 on Sept. 2 to 2,732 on Thursday. The daily deaths dropped from 39 to 33 during the same period.

Phoenix officials say the city’s two mobile COVID-19 vans and other city testing locations will begin offering vaccines. The city will use federal pandemic relief money to pay for adding vaccinations to the testing program.

Arizona has reported a total of 1.06 million confirmed cases and 19,487 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— Schools without mask mandate get brunt of latest virus wave in South Carolina

— Florida’s daily coronavirus cases drop from last month

— UN using honor system to check vaccinations for New York meeting

— Nonprofit started by Sean Penn aids Georgia vaccine drive

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— See AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ROME — Italy is reporting up to a 40% increase in the number of people getting a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine following a government decree requiring a health pass for all workers, public and private, starting Oct. 15.

The office of Italy’s...