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Posted Mar 19, 2020, 11:06 am

Dylan Smith TucsonSentinel.com

Forty-four Arizonans have now tested postive for COVID-19 as the pandemic continues Thursday and the number of people being tested in the state increases.

New cases were confirmed in Pima County on Thursday morning, bringing the total here to 7.

No deaths have yet been reported in Arizona.

The number of known cases grew overnight, up from 28, as more tests are being run after weeks of limited access. There are now 44 total cases diagnosed in the state, with officials expecting many more to be found.

Just 331 people have been tested by the Arizona Public Health Laboratory, while private labs coming online are not reporting the total number of tests to state officials. Prior to Tuesday, the state lab had tested 221 patients suspected of carrying the virus. The state lab has now ruled out 175 people with negative tests.

Statewide, there have been 44 positive results, with 130 pending tests at the state lab, as of Tuesday morning.

Sunday, just 183 people had been tested, with 12 positive cases and 50 pending tests.

One of the Pima County cases is a patient at the Tucson VA hospital, who was diagnosed on March 14 and is still be treated in isolation by the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System.

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Each of the Pima County patients has been older than 50, with no link identified between them, officials said.

The two new cases announced Thursday are:

• A female in her 50s who is hospitalized
• A male in his 50s who is isolating and not hospitalized

The earlier cases are:

• A male in his 80s who has recovered
• A male in his 50s who is hospitalized
• A male in his 70s who is hospitalized
• A male in his 60s who is hospitalized
• A female in her 60s who is isolating and not hospitalized