Monday, November 23, 2020
With more than 2,659 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases soared past 300,000 as of Monday, Nov. 23, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 544 new cases today, has seen 36,659 of the state’s 302,324 confirmed cases.
A total of 6,464 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 674 deaths in Pima County, according to the Nov. 23 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide continues to climb upward as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly. ADHS reported that as of Nov. 22, 2,008 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the highest that number has been since Aug. 3. That number peaked with 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients on July 13; it hit a subsequent low of 468 on Sept. 27.
A total of 1,372 people visited emergency rooms on Nov. 22 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A total of 469 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Nov. 22, the highest that number has been since Aug. 13. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13 and hit a subsequent low of 114 on Sept. 22.
On a week-by-week basis in Pima County, the number of positive COVID tests peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,452 cases, according to an Nov. 20 report from the Pima County Health Department. (Numbers in this report are subject to revision.)
Pima County is seeing a dramatic rise in cases in recent weeks. For the week ending Oct. 24, 935 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 31, 1,345 cases were reported; for the week ending Nov. 7, 2,120 cases were reported; and for the week ending Nov. 14, 2,509 cases were reported.
Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry noted that the county had seen 4,620 cases in the first 17 days in November.
“For the first 17 days in July, the worst month of COVID-19 case increases to date, there were 5,057 cases,” Huckleberry said in a Nov. 17 memo. “Therefore, we are on pace to exceed the total number of monthly COVID-19 infections in our previous worst month, July.”
WASHINGTON – Coconino County Supervisor Art Babbott urged senators last week to pass a bill that would let limbs and trees left over from forest maintenance be burned for renewable energy.
Babbott, testifying before a Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee, said the lack of a market for forest waste has been a bottleneck choking efforts to clear national forests of undergrowth and halt the growth of catastrophic wildfires.
“The rules have changed, we can’t use the same strategies that used to work because they don’t work anymore,” said Babbott, who punctuated his remarks by noting that he had received notice during his testimony of another wildfire breaking out in the county.
The hearing comes during a year in which Arizona has seen a sharp increase in wildfires, with 2,375 blazes so far that have burned more than 955,000 acres so far this year, said Tiffany Davila, a spokeswoman with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
And that pales in comparison to states like California, where 9,279 fires have burned almost 4.2 million acres and led to 31 deaths this year, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Friday, November 20, 2020
Snow in the Valley? Unlikely, but Arizonans can make their way about two hours north from Phoenix to Flagstaff to get a taste of winter.
Snowbowl Ski Resort, the Alpine slopes on Northern Arizona’s San Francisco Peaks, opens for the winter season on Friday, with some slight changes due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“Obviously we want people to have fun on the mountain,” said Li Cui, the marketing manager of Snowbowl Ski, “but health and safety is the most important thing for us because if you don’t feel safe then you’re probably not going to have fun.”
The biggest operational changes on the mountain are through ticket sales and capacity limitation.
“Ultimately our entire plan comes down to spreading people out as much as possible, outdoors,” Cui said.
“We feel very comfortable and believe skiing outside with plenty of space is a safe environment.”
The Snowbowl team will be closely monitoring weather conditions, the number of open trails, and the parking lot and lodging capacity.
“That daily limit is going to be very fluid … even honestly hour by hour,” Cui said.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero joined three other Arizona mayors on Friday to discuss the surge in cases across the state and call for stricter COVID-19 mitigation actions from Gov. Doug Ducey.
Coronavirus cases are surging across the state and county, with 562 new cases reported in Pima County on Friday.
“Here in Pima County, we are seeing numbers we've seen only in the summer. Positivity rate is increasing throughout our state, and these things are very, very troubling for all of us,” Romero said. “The fact is that currently, we are heading in the wrong direction.”
Romero is calling for Ducey to implement a statewide mask mandate and a 14-day self-quarantine or a negative test for travelers entering the state.
In a media conference Wednesday, Ducey said he won’t implement a statewide mask mandate because 90% of Arizona is under local mask mandates.
“As much as I'd love the city of Tucson to be in a bubble, all it takes is one person traveling to Tucson to visit family during the holidays to make a huge impact in terms of spread here in the city of Tucson,” Romero said. “That's why it's so important that we have a statewide mandate for masks because we should all be holding hands in this. This should not be a political issue, this should be an issue that we hold hands that we work together and that we defeat.”
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans and Tolleson Mayor Anna Tovar joined Romero in calling for a mask mandate statewide.
The Arizona Department of Health Services issued an emergency measure that masks be worn on all school premises, but the mayors are calling for further action.
“There are very significant portions of rural Arizona that do not have a mask requirement. We are certainly seeing a surge in cases in rural Arizona,” Gallego said. “I think it would send an important message to rural Arizona, the governor has extended mask requirements for our students, their parents and grandparents deserve the same.”
If a statewide mask mandate is implemented, Romero says the Pima County Health Department would be responsible for enforcing it.
“[Tucson Police Department] doesn't go into a business and take it upon themselves to enforce the mask mandate,” Romero said. “What we're doing is coordinating and cooperating with Pima County Health Department. Pima County Health Department then has the ability to call that restaurant or bar and take further action.”
At the onset of the pandemic, the group of mayors said Ducey’s staff held daily coronavirus briefings, which then turned into biweekly briefings. The updates have since ceased altogether.
“In regards to communication, I think that's something that is very much needed in regards to all 91 cities and 15 counties throughout the state of Arizona. We used to have daily updates at the beginning of COVID . . . and then suddenly those were terminated,” Tovar said. “One of my biggest frustrations is not having that communication to update us to stay proactive in trying to come up with solutions, hearing from mayors all across Arizona.”
In addition to communication, some of the mayors expressed concerns about a lack of funding to address the pandemic in their jurisdictions.
Evans says the state received $1.86 billion in federal CARES Act funding, but cities and towns that were less than 500,000 in population did not receive a direct allocation.
“Instead, the monies went to the governor's office, and those monies were then dispersed with regulations, and also not fully dispersed . . . only $441 million was actually dispersed to the smaller cities and towns,” Evans said. “One of the things that we could use is for the rest of the money that is currently with the governor's office to be dispersed to the smaller cities and towns without restrictions, that way we can utilize that money to take care of the issues that we see here at a local level.”
Romero says Tucson received $95 million in CARES Act funding, and that “the city of Tucson Mayor and Council have put millions of dollars for workers and families for utility and rent assistance, for small business assistance, nonprofit assistance for arts and culture entertainment venues.”
Tucson's mayor says Ducey’s executive order in April implementing his “stay home, stay healthy, stay connected” policy prevented local municipalities from creating their own mitigation strategies.
“Back in the summer, when cases were spiking as they are now, [Ducey] untied the hands of mayors and health departments across Arizona, but only to institute a face mask mandate. All other mitigation strategies are off the table for mayors across Arizona, because of their prevention from Governor Ducey,” Romero said. “Here in Pima County, we just saw 660 cases reported Thursday, more than 4,400 cases across the state. If this is not an emergency to get our governor to institute additional mitigation strategies and in a mandatory face-covering across the state, I really don't know what is.”
Romero also expressed concerns about the disproportionate amount of minorities affected by COVID-19.
“With this pandemic, we have seen the ills of our society highlighted. We are seeing here in Arizona, that our indigenous communities, Latino communities and communities of color are much more exposed and are the numbers that we're seeing rise in exponential levels,” she said. “That is much more of a systemic issue that this country has the inability to provide health care for Americans and provide a safety net to our low-income communities and communities of color. That is the underlying issue that COVID-19 is highlighting.”
Although evidence of potentially effective COVID-19 vaccines has recently surfaced, the mayors say Arizona is in need of a united voice to actually implement them.
“We also are concerned in regards to the vaccine that is months away. We are excited about the news that is coming out of the potential releases of multiple manufacturers that have vaccines that are showing great scientific data that they are effective . . . but that message falls short here, nationwide, and also at our state level,” Tovar said. “We need a plan of action in place so that when the vaccines do come out, we have a strong unified message on how we vaccinate our communities.”
Whether Ducey takes statewide executive action for further COVID-19 mitigation, Romero said “it's up to all of us to take a personal responsibility of following public health guidelines.”
The mayors implore all Arizonans to wear a face mask, frequently sanitize and avoid large gatherings as Thanksgiving approaches.
“Masks are important. I understand they hurt your ears, mine too. But wearing a mask is more comfortable than wearing a ventilator,” Gallego said. “Thousands of Arizonans have lost their lives, there will be empty seats at Thanksgiving. We can take steps to make sure that we stop this growth and save lives.”
Romero echoed the same message.
“I know this pandemic has been frustrating, it has been exhausting, but we need to maintain our resolve for a little bit longer. I know this will be especially hard during Thanksgiving….We have to stay the course, we need to wear a mask, we must avoid gatherings, and all of these actions will save lives,” she said.
“Here in Arizona, we’ve lost 6,600 lives. 6,600 lives that are not going to join their families for Thanksgiving or Christmas or any other holidays. 6,600 lives that we are not going to recover. And so we are asking for clear statewide action and leadership by Governor Ducey.”
Districts report their coronavirus cases to the Pima County Health Department, which provides guidance to schools based on metrics in its COVID-19 progress report. However, these are merely guidelines, and schools aren’t necessarily obliged to follow them.
The health department recommends each school site designate a team to implement a COVID-19 mitigation plan, who are then connected to a liaison at the department.
In a reference guide for school reopenings, the health department says to reopen, schools should be ready “to consult with the local health authorities if there are cases in the facility.”
As many districts reopen for hybrid learning, they’re reporting COVID-19 cases among students and staff causing groups of potential contacts to quarantine.
Sunnyside Unified and Marana Unified have created dashboards listing their positive cases. Public information officials from the Amphitheater Unified District and Flowing Wells Unified School District have been responsive in providing their positive case numbers to the press.
However, Tucson’s largest school district is not revealing their case counts.
Although Tucson Unified School District doesn’t plan to implement hybrid learning until January, is has on-campus learning spaces available to some students.
The Arizona Interscholastic Association’s executive board voted during a special meeting Thursday to postpone the start of the high school winter sports season until Jan. 5 in response to rising COVID-19 rates across the state.
Competitive play for winter sports including basketball, soccer and wrestling was originally scheduled to start on Nov. 30.
This move will give schools more time to develop protocols to safely conduct winter sports while trying to keep students in school as virus cases trend upward, said AIA Executive Director David Hines.
“Delaying the start of the season will give our coaches and administrators time to implement safety protocols and put sports modifications in place,” Hines said. “ Just like getting fall sports off the ground, doing things the right way will allow for our sports to continue.”
According to the AIA, the start of the winter competitive season will be based on five factors:
- If a student-athlete participates with a non-school team/group, that student-athlete is excluded from practice and competition with the school team for 14 days since the last practice or competition of the non-school team/group.
- All winter sports modifications are required.
- No fans will be permitted until metrics are appropriate. AIA staff will be communicating with schools and districts statewide to evaluate readiness on a regular basis.
- No scrimmages, invitational tournaments or region tournaments will be allowed.
- No out-of-state competitions will be allowed.
Friday, Feb. 19, will be the last permissible day of competition for winter sports, including any play-in competitions, according to AIA officials.
Teams will be required to hold practice for a minimum of 14 days before competitive play. Winter sports practice for many area high schools began earlier in November.
To compensate for the postponement, the upcoming high school spring sports season, which was scheduled to start on Feb. 8, has been delayed to Feb.15.
Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases climbed to nearly 300,000 as of Friday, Nov. 20, with 4,471 new cases, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County reported 562 new cases today bringing its total to 34,985 of the state’s 291,696 confirmed cases.
With 43 new deaths reported today, it increases to 6,427 the number of Arizonans who have died after contracting COVID-19, including 673 deaths in Pima County, according to the Nov. 20 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide continues to climb as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly. ADHS reported that as of Nov. 18, 1,835 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the highest that number has been since Aug. 8. That number peaked with 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients on July 13; it hit a subsequent low of 468 on Sept. 27.
A total of 1,490 people visited emergency rooms on Nov. 19 with COVID symptoms, the highest that number has been since July 171. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A total of 431 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Nov. 19. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13 and hit a subsequent low of 114 on Sept. 22.
On a week-by-week basis in Pima County, the number of positive COVID tests peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,452 cases, according to a Nov. 12 report from the Pima County Health Department. (Numbers in this report are subject to revision.)
Pima County is seeing a steady rise in cases in recent weeks. For the week ending Oct. 17, 547 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 24, 914 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 31, 1,304 cases were reported; and for the week ending Nov. 7, 1,948 cases were reported.
Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry noted that the county had seen 4,620 cases in the first 17 days in November.
“For the first 17 days in July, the worst month of COVID-19 case increases to date, there were 5,057 cases,” Huckleberry said in a Nov. 17 memo. “Therefore, we are on pace to exceed the total number of monthly COVID-19 infections in our previous worst month, July.”
COVID-related deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 but are on the rise. There were three deaths in the week ending Oct 10, one in week ending Oct. 17, five in the week ending Oct. 24 and nine in the week ending Oct. 31.
Hospitalization admission peaked the week ending July 18 with 221 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals, but those numbers have been on the rise in recent weeks. In the week ending Oct. 17, 35 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 24, 41 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 31, 53 people were admitted; and in the week ending Nov. 7, 61 people were admitted.
Ducey, Christ: State coronavirus cases showing 'concerning increase'
In the first media conference from the governor’s office in two weeks, Gov. Doug Ducey and Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ provided a COVID-19 update today as the pervasiveness of the virus grows daily.
Christ said throughout the state there’s been a “concerning increase” in coronavirus cases, percent positivity and COVID-19 patients in ICU and inpatient hospital beds.
According to Christ, each of Arizona’s 15 counties has a COVID-19 case rate above 100 per 100,000 people, which also indicates a substantial spread of the virus.
COVID-19-like illnesses are also increasing visits to emergency rooms and hospitals, Christ said.
The public health director implored mask wearing for all Arizonans “in every setting.”
Banner Health reinstates no visitor policy as COVID surges
As Arizona continues on track for its worst month of COVID spread, Banner Health reinstated its no-visitor policy at all Banner – University Medicine locations in Tucson, effective 6 p.m. today. According to Banner, this visitor ban to reduce COVID spread includes outpatient and ambulatory locations, such as clinics, urgent care locations, imaging centers, surgery centers and occupational health services locations.
There are four exceptions to the visitor restrictions:
- Pediatric patients (under the age of 18) may have one guardian or support individual with them.
- Laboring mothers may have one support person with them.
- Persons with disabilities who, due to the specifics of the disability, require assistance from someone in order to effectively participate in the healthcare process will be allowed to designate a support person to accompany them while in any Banner facility.
- End of life visitations will be accommodated.
Federal prison is a “hot spot” for COVID cases
However, the memo says there are specific "hot spots" contributing to the surge in cases, including a case outbreak at the federal prison at 8901 S. Wilmot Road. Nearly 500 infections were found in a facility with 1,600 detainees and 600 employees.
“The initial cases were identified quickly, and the institution implemented an aggressive program of inmate testing, case identification, and isolation and quarantine to mitigate the risk of spread,” Huckelberry said in the memo.
On-site medical services for inmates are “limited to outpatient acute care” from a team of four nurse practitioners or mid-level providers, 12 supporting nursing and paramedics and a medical director from inside the facility, according to the memo.
About 24 detainees had to leave the prison facility for hospital care, and the memo says “even fewer required inpatient care at local hospitals, principally TMC.”
Get tested: Pima County opening new sites alongside existing spots for free COVID testing
New drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites are opening at three Pima Community College locations, the county health department announced in a press release Friday.
The Pima County Health Department, Pima Community College and Arizona State University have partnered to create three new testing sites in an extension of the current ASU testing site at the Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center.
At the drive-thru sites, COVID-19 testing will be offered through spit samples instead of nasal canal swabs.
Each site will conduct testing from 9 a.m. to noon, and registration is required in advance. Only patients 5 years or older can be tested.
“As cases rise, we are eager to increase available testing for the people of Pima County,” Pima County Public Health Director Theresa Cullen said in the press release. “If you know or suspect you have been exposed to COVID-19, we encourage you to get tested.”
Here are the three drive-thru locations that will be offering COVID-19 testing:
Pima Community College West Campus
- 2202 W. Anklam Road
- Mondays, except national holidays and Dec. 28
- Testing started: Monday, Nov. 16, 2020
Pima Community College Desert Vista Campus
- 5901 S. Calle Santa Cruz
- Wednesdays, except national holidays and Dec. 30
- Testing starts: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020
Pima Community College East Campus
- 8181 E. Irvington Road
- Fridays, except national holidays.
- Testing starts: Friday, Dec. 4, 2020
The new sites will join the county’s other four free testing centers around town.
You’ll have a nasal swab test at the Kino Event Center (2805 E. Ajo Way) the Udall Center (7200 E. Tanque Verde Road) and downtown (88 E. Broadway). The center at the northside Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road, involves a saliva test designed by ASU.
Schedule an appointment at pima.gov/covid19testing.
The University of Arizona’s antibody testing has been opened to all Arizonans as the state attempts to get a handle on how many people have been exposed to COVID-19 but were asymptomatic or otherwise did not get a test while they were ill.
To sign up for testing, visit https://covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu/home.
PHOENIX – States across the Southwest have adopted clean energy plans that regulate utility companies and work toward carbon-free goals. After lagging for several years, Arizona is starting to catch up.
The Arizona Corporation Commission passed a proposal requiring utilities to be 100% free of carbon emissions by 2050 and meet particular benchmarks along the way.
According to the commission, carbon-free requires the use of resources that do not generate carbon emissions “resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum, natural gas, oil, shale, and bitumen.” Nuclear and hydroelectric generators are considered carbon-free, as are wind and solar.
The 4-1 vote initiated the commission’s formal rulemaking process, which includes opportunities for customer comment and will provide the foundation for a final commission vote in 2021.
If approved, the proposal will update energy rules that have not been changed since 2006, according to Commissioner Lea Márquez Peterson, who said it was “vitally important” to update the rules.
“From an economic development perspective, Arizona didn’t look competitive,” Márquez Peterson said. “We really needed to, in my opinion, focus on clean energy and zero carbon emissions.”
Ellen Zuckerman, co-director of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project’s utility program, said the decision is “consistent with the trend in the industry and the trend in the Southwest.”
Colorado plans to have 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050, New Mexico plans to be 100% zero-carbon energy by 2045 and Nevada plans to have 100% clean energy by 2050. Carbon-free means no carbon emissions, while clean energy encompasses all renewable energy, including fossil fuel with carbon-capture technology.
The proposed rules include several standards for public utilities across the state including requiring Arizona Public Service and Tucson Electric Power to be 100% carbon-free by 2050. They also would have to reach benchmarks, such as reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2032 and 75% by 2040, along the way.
Utilities will also be required to meet an energy efficiency standard to cut energy waste, a distributed storage standard to deploy customer-owned or leased energy storage systems, and make improvements to integrated resource planning processes.
The policy would replace the 2006 Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff, which required regulated electric utilities to generate 15% of their energy from renewable resources by 2025. Currently, APS plans to generate 45% of its energy from renewable resources by 2030 and Tucson Electric is on track to generate 28% of its energy from renewable resources by next year.
Republicans Bob Burns, Boyd Dunn and Márquez Peterson, and Democrat Sandra Kennedy voted for the rules. Republican Justin Olson voted no.
Zuckerman – whose public-interest organization “promotes greater energy efficiency and clean transportation in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming” – said the bipartisanship of the Arizona vote is unique and important to the message it sends.
“It sends, I think, a very strong signal that these issues aren’t partisan,” Zuckerman said. “They really cross party lines, again, because it just makes economic sense.”
Márquez Peterson said giving utilities 30 years to hit these goals is important because it gives them sufficient time to work with developing technologies.
“We don’t know yet what new innovation or technology will be in the future, so we needed to allow them that flexibility to get there,” she said. “I think that’s more palatable or more affordable for our consumers across the state.”
Márquez Peterson said the 2020 election could potentially change the way the final vote goes in 2021.
“We have two new commissioners joining us, so that’ll change the dynamics of the commission,” she said. “Will they fully support the energy rules that we’ve negotiated thus far, or will we renegotiate certain pieces of it? That’s what we’re not sure yet.”
Three seats, held by Márquez Peterson, Burns and Dunn, were up for election in November. Márquez Peterson retained her position. Democrat Anna Tovar and Republican James “Jim” O’Connor were elected to fill the other two seats.
Diane Brown, executive director of the Arizona Public Interest Research Group, said Arizona utilities are making good progress.
“Arizona utilities have recently stepped up to the plate to establish their own commitments to a clean energy future,” Brown said. “The commission movement to adopt strong energy efficiency and clean energy standards will ensure they achieve and eventually surpass their commitments.”
The APS 2020 Integrated Resource Plan, which was filed with the commission in June, says the utility will provide 100% carbon-free energy by 2050, with 65% clean energy by 2030. APS also pledged to end its use of coal-fired generation by 2031.
Tucson Electric’s 2020 Integrated Resource Plan, which was filed in June, pledges to provide more than 70% of its power from renewable sources “with a portfolio that requires 70% less water and produces 80% less carbon dioxide” by 2035.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, electricity generation, transmission and distribution make up 27% of greenhouse gas emissions, and transportation makes up 28%. In a November report, the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures said many states consider clean energy generation to be the key to decarbonizing both the transportation and power sectors, which together produce 55% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
Zuckerman said the switch to clean energy has economic benefits.
“Renewables are increasingly competitive and oftentimes outperforming on economic gas,” she said. “This is just what makes economic sense.”
The APS plan mentions that utilities need to focus on clean and renewable energy projects in impacted and disadvantaged communities. Impacted communities, Zuckerman said, are those that are “socially or economically impacted from the closure of traditional fossil resources.”
Zuckerman said the bipartisan-supported package “sends an incredibly strong signal that Arizona is committed to significant investment in clean energy resources moving forward.”
