Arizona cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, now approach 1,600, with 32 known deaths, according to new numbers released by the Arizona Department of Health Services on Thursday.

The total identified cases in Arizona is 1,598, according to the most recent state figures. That's an increase of 185 confirmed cases, or 13%, since Wednesday, when the state reported 1,413 identified cases and 29 deaths.

All of Arizona's 15 counties have at least one recorded case.

As of Thursday morning, Maricopa County recorded 12 deaths related to COVID-19. Pima County had 11 deaths and Coconino County five, according to their respective websites.

Coconino County said Thursday evening that its number of COVID-19 related deaths had risen from five to eight.

Navajo County had one reported death, that of an individual in their 60s with underlying health conditions, according to the county.

The Pascua Yaqui tribe, which is in Pima County in southern Arizona, announced on Wednesday two coronavirus deaths.

The White Mountain Apache Tribe announced its first identified positive case of COVID-19 on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation northeast of Phoenix. The person is a tribal member and is in isolation at the Whiteriver Indian Hospital, according to a release from the tribe.

Maricopa County’s Health Department provided more detailed information on its cases. The state’s database shows the county has 961 cases, while the county’s website says it has 964 confirmed as of Thursday morning. Of the 964, the county numbers show:

Confirmed cases increased by 91 from Wednesday to Thursday.

The majority of the cases, 517, or 54%, are male.

22 people under age 19 have tested positive.

People aged 20 to 44 make up 39% of positive cases, followed by people 45-64 years old at 36% and people over age 65 at 23%.

19%, or 183 cases, have been hospitalized. This is 25 more than Wednesday.

7%, or 68 cases, have been in the intensive care unit. This is 10 more than Wednesday. The number includes any case that was in the ICU during their illness, the county says.

The likelihood of being hospitalized or in the ICU increases with age. Of those aged 20-44, 29 were hospitalized and nine were in the ICU. For people aged 45-64, 66 were hospitalized and 26 were in the ICU. Among those over age 65, there were 88 hospitalized and 33 in the ICU.

12 people have died in Maricopa County. Of those, four were aged 45-64 and eight were over age 65.

Cases rise in other counties

According to Thursday's state update, Pima County had 237 identified cases. Navajo County had 129 cases, while Coconino had 114. Pinal County had 69, Yavapai County had 34, Apache County had 19. Yuma County announced Thursday afternoon its case count was up to 15, updated from the 13 the state reported earlier in the day.

Mohave County had eight cases, Cochise County had four, Santa Cruz County had three and Graham County, Gila County and La Paz County each had two, according to state numbers.

Greenlee County recorded one case. Greenlee, in southeastern Arizona, was the last county to record a case. It has had 36 tests completed, the state's dashboard shows.

All counties but Cochise, Santa Cruz, Graham, La Paz and Greenlee saw an increase in their cases from Wednesday.

Cochise County, with four cases, is now believed to have community spread, the county’s Health Department said in a press release on Monday. The county determined it had community spread after an adult female contracted the virus without any recent travel.

The Arizona Republic contacted all 15 counties for numbers on hospitalizations, which is only available online for Maricopa County. Not all counties have responded yet, but here is what the hospitalization numbers showed as of Tuesday for other counties. (These include all cases ever hospitalized, not just current hospitalizations.)

Pima County: 45 known hospitalizations and 15 in the ICU.

Pinal County: seven known hospitalizations.

Yavapai County: three.

Mohave County: one.

Cochise County: one.

Santa Cruz, La Paz and Greenlee counties: no known hospitalizations.

Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis announced on Wednesday evening their health care facilities have had seven positive tests, three from Gila River Indian Community members.

"Our numbers are increasing, but not as fast," Lewis said. "That means we are, I hope and I pray, beginning to bend the curve just a bit. That is what we need to do."

The number of Arizona cases is likely much higher than official numbers suggest. People have reported trouble getting tested, as health professionals confront confusion over who to test and face a lack of testing supplies.

Testing increasing slowly

The state Health Department website says both state and private laboratories have completed a total of 22,709 tests for COVID-19, according to the number posted Thursday on the agency website. That is an increase of 1,651 from the state's reported tests Wednesday morning.

While there was a big jump in testing in mid-March, the rate of increase has significantly dropped since then, possibly correlating with new state guidelines for more restrictive testing. Fewer than 500 tests were conducted statewide the week of March 22, according to the state database.

The state issued new guidance for testing on March 25 to primary care providers saying they should "consider removing this diagnostic 'tool' from their toolbox and managing patients with respiratory conditions as if they have COVID-19."

At a March 25 press conference, state Health Director Dr. Cara Christ said that if infections continue at their current pace, illnesses would peak in April and hospitalizations would peak in May.

"Arizona is still in the opening stages of its COVID-19 outbreak, and the number of cases within the state will increase significantly," Christ said.

The state Health Department announced in a press release on Sunday that its COVID-19 dashboard had been enhanced. The state previously provided only a limited scope of the cases. The new dashboard provides a more comprehensive view of the state's number of cases, breaking it down by the number of cases per week, age and gender.

The distribution of cases appears to align with the number of tests done. For instance, the age group with the highest percentage of cases, those aged 20 to 44, also are the age group that has had the most tests.

Most COVID-19 tests come back negative, the state's dashboard shows, with only 6% of tests coming back positive.

Of the statewide identified cases, 51% are men and 49% are women.

Last week, the level of community spread escalated from moderate to “widespread,” as listed on the state Health Department’s website. Community spread means the patient who tested positive had no history of traveling to regions of the world affected by the new coronavirus, and also had no known contact with anyone infected.

On Monday, Gov. Doug Ducey signed an executive order further stressing the need for Arizonans to stay home to slow the coronavirus spread, except for necessary trips. A list of previously released businesses, services and government functions deemed "essential'' that can keep operating remained unchanged.

Cases and curfew on Navajo Reservation

The Navajo Nation announced on Thursday afternoon it had 241 identified cases, with eight confirmed deaths.

The 241 cases include portions of the reservation in the following counties in three states: 104 in Navajo County, 22 in Apache County and 63 in Coconino County in Arizona; 25 in San Juan County, 16 in McKinley County and four in Cibola County in New Mexico; and seven in San Juan County in Utah.

Nearly 1,800 people have tested negative for COVID-19, according to a Thursday press release from the Navajo Nation.

The Navajo Nation Department of Health has issued a public health emergency order that implements a curfew and extends the "stay at home" order. The Navajo Nation Board of Education also approved a resolution directing the closure of schools for the rest of the school year.

“The Navajo Police will start issuing citations soon for individuals who violate the curfew that’s in place. We’re seeing higher number each day because people continue to go out into public. The only way we’re going to beat the virus is to stay home as much as possible,” Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in the statement.

The curfew runs from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. and went into effect Monday evening. The curfew excludes essential employees traveling to and from work but they must have documentation.

“We’re two weeks into this pandemic and we need many more test kits, we need testing labs in our communities so we can get results much quicker. The public needs to be mindful that these numbers are going to continue to increase if every family, every individual does not follow the advice of health care experts," Nez said in a statement Wednesday.

Republic reporters Rachel Leingang, Maria Polletta and Shondiin Silversmith contributed to this article.

Reach the reporter at Alison.Steinbach@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.