As state officials backtrack to uncover uncounted COVID-19 deaths, federal mortality data shows a significant increase in overall deaths and there are strong indicators that Arizonans may have started dying from the virus back in February. ABC15 analyzed weekly mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics, a division of the Centers for Disease Control. It shows compared to 2019, there has been a four percent increase in overall deaths in the state so far this year — a rise of about 750 total deaths. Compared to a five-year average, the increase is 10 percent.
