Friday, April 10, 2020
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona had reached 3,112 as of Friday, April 10, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 543 of the state’s confirmed cases.
The coronavirus had killed 97 people statewide, including 26 in Pima County.
In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 1,741.
The state remains under Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order that has closed a wide number of “non-essential” businesses, including many retail stores, barbershops, salons, and swap meets. Public parks remain open but amenities such as playgrounds and restrooms are closed.
Under the stay-at-home order, Arizonans are still able to shop for groceries, medical and household needs, and pet supplies. They can also go work, pick up a take-out meal from a restaurant, travel to take care of a family member, friend or pet, and can still go walking, hiking, biking and golfing, provided that they adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Ducey announced four new executive orders this week:
• Visitors from areas with major community spread of COVID-19 must enter quarantine for two weeks if they come to Arizona.
• Restaurants can sell more of their bulk goods and supplies as groceries. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero announced this week that local restaurants could now operate pop-up grocery stores and sell their bulk goods without any changes to their certificates of occupancy.
Cronkite News
Photo by Bart Everson / Creative Commons
The Arizona numbers are part of a growing coronavirus-driven loss of jobs that saw more than 16 million Americans register for unemployment in recent weeks, breaking records at both the state and national levels.
Experts said it’s hard to predict when the job losses will stop because this is uncharted territory, but that nothing will improve until the nation gets a handle on COVID-19. Until then, they said, the government may need to step up its efforts – already in the trillions of dollars – to shore up businesses and put more unemployment benefits in Americans’ pockets.
“Congress has already stepped in to supplement state-level unemployment insurance and if the situation necessitates it, then the federal government should be prepared to act once again,” said Garrick Taylor, executive vice president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce.
The job losses come as efforts to contain the coronavirus have shut down large parts of the economy. Travel restrictions – and travel fears – have hit the airline, hotel and other industries hard, while governors in most states, including Arizona, have banned gatherings of all but the smallest numbers of people and ordered nonessential businesses closed.
Tags: unemployment , claims , jobless , economy , Image
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Logan Burtch-Buus, Tucson Local Media
Oro Valley resident Fang Fung speaks with Oro Valley Hospital Chief Administrative Officer Erinn Oller after donating 5,000 Level 1 face masks to the hospital. Fung is a member of Chinese American COVID-19 Relief AZ, a group of more than 300 volunteers raising funds to supply PPE to hospitals across the state.
When it became clear that local healthcare facilities would face a shortage of critical supplies in the coming weeks, a group of more than 300 Chinese Americans from across Arizona came together to answer the call.
Among them is Oro Valley resident Fang Fung, who pulled up to the loading docks of Oro Valley Hospital Thursday morning with several boxes of Level 1 masks in the trunk of her SUV.
Donning a face mask and gloves, Fung spoke with thankful hospital executives as an employee loaded the donation on a hand cart.
“We need to help health workers because of the lack of masks,” Fung said. “We need to support the first line first.”
That support of local healthcare professionals isn’t limited to Oro Valley. The Chinese American COVID-19 Relief AZ group is responsible for several similar donations at hospitals across Arizona. The group has also made stops at Banner Health facilities in Tucson and the Greater Phoenix Area, the Dignity Health Foundation, the Chandler Regional Medical Center and the Golder Ranch Fire District on Tucson’s north side.
Fung initiated the local effort and was introduced through a mutual friend to organizers in Phoenix. Both parties realized they could have a greater impact together.
“We all have the same wish,” Fung said. “We hope healthcare workers can protect themselves when they're working with others. It was easy to get people involved.”
The group operates through a Facebook page, Chinese Americans Covid-19 Relief AZ, which was founded in early March. A GoFundMe page was set up March 18, and currently sits at $48,000 of its $50,000 goal, though the group said they’ve surpassed that goal with outside donations.
In a move that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, some companies are trying to profit off of fraudulent "cures" for coronavirus, and the FDA has put out a warning to the public.
Not only has nobody actually come up with a bonafide cure at this point, but this one touts itself as a miracle cure. “Miracle Mineral Solution” is made from chlorine dioxide, and has not been proven as a cure or prevention for COVID-19, despite its claims that it does so. This is on top of its supposed other uses: a cure for cancer, hepatitis, autism, and more.
You should be wary of any product at this point that has such lofty advertisements. "Too good to be true" is a saying for a reason, and snake oil salesmen have been around to take advantage of people for ages.
The rest of the FDA's warning is below:
Not only has nobody actually come up with a bonafide cure at this point, but this one touts itself as a miracle cure. “Miracle Mineral Solution” is made from chlorine dioxide, and has not been proven as a cure or prevention for COVID-19, despite its claims that it does so. This is on top of its supposed other uses: a cure for cancer, hepatitis, autism, and more.
You should be wary of any product at this point that has such lofty advertisements. "Too good to be true" is a saying for a reason, and snake oil salesmen have been around to take advantage of people for ages.
The rest of the FDA's warning is below:
Tags: fda , warning , scam , cure , medicine , drug , chlorine , dioxide , Image
As the COVID-19 outbreak forces the economy to a grinding halt, more and more people across the country are losing their jobs.
The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting record-highs in new unemployment insurance claims, with 6.6 million claims filed in the week ending March 28. This marks the highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims in history.
The Arizona Department of Economic Security reported 88,592 initial claims from Arizona residents in the same week—a staggering jump of nearly 60,000 claims avove the previous week.
Both state and federal governments have put measures in place to increase access to unemployment benefits and other financial assistance programs that can keep people afloat during this uncertain time. Here are the main resources to pursue if you’ve lost income as a result of COVID-19.
Expanded Unemployment Benefits
The federal government passed the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act on Friday, March 27. The new legislation will expand eligibility for unemployment benefits to those who have historically been denied, such contract workers, gig workers and people who are self-employed.
It will also provide beneficiaries with an additional $600 per week in Pandemic Unemployment Compensation on top of the unemployment money already offered by the state of Arizona, which varies between $187 and $240 per week. This money will not be considered “income” for those who use Medicaid or CHIP.
The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting record-highs in new unemployment insurance claims, with 6.6 million claims filed in the week ending March 28. This marks the highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims in history.
The Arizona Department of Economic Security reported 88,592 initial claims from Arizona residents in the same week—a staggering jump of nearly 60,000 claims avove the previous week.
Both state and federal governments have put measures in place to increase access to unemployment benefits and other financial assistance programs that can keep people afloat during this uncertain time. Here are the main resources to pursue if you’ve lost income as a result of COVID-19.
Expanded Unemployment Benefits
The federal government passed the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act on Friday, March 27. The new legislation will expand eligibility for unemployment benefits to those who have historically been denied, such contract workers, gig workers and people who are self-employed.
It will also provide beneficiaries with an additional $600 per week in Pandemic Unemployment Compensation on top of the unemployment money already offered by the state of Arizona, which varies between $187 and $240 per week. This money will not be considered “income” for those who use Medicaid or CHIP.
WASHINGTON – Migrant farmworkers are in “serious danger” of contracting coronavirus because of ongoing poor conditions like overcrowded housing, buses and lack of access to healthcare, according to a new report.
The report by the Centro de los Derechos del Migrante group surveyed 100 migrant workers from Mexico with temporary H-2A visas from September 2019 to January 2020, before the spike on coronavirus cases across the U.S.
“The findings of this report would be deeply troubling in more ordinary times and these are not ordinary times,” said Mary Bauer, lead counsel for the center in a conference call Wednesday.
The report – “Ripe for Reform: Abuses of Agricultural Workers in the H-2A Visa Program – said those workers routinely face discrimination and harassment while working for up to a dozen hours a day without breaks. The report details legal violations alleged by all 100 migrant workers that were questioned.
The report by the Centro de los Derechos del Migrante group surveyed 100 migrant workers from Mexico with temporary H-2A visas from September 2019 to January 2020, before the spike on coronavirus cases across the U.S.
“The findings of this report would be deeply troubling in more ordinary times and these are not ordinary times,” said Mary Bauer, lead counsel for the center in a conference call Wednesday.
The report – “Ripe for Reform: Abuses of Agricultural Workers in the H-2A Visa Program – said those workers routinely face discrimination and harassment while working for up to a dozen hours a day without breaks. The report details legal violations alleged by all 100 migrant workers that were questioned.
Tags: migrant workers , covid19 , farming , cronkite , injuries , danger , Image
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
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San Francisco Bay Area surgeon Mary Cardoza is juggling multiple breast cancer patients. But she can’t operate on any of them. Breast cancer surgery, it turns out, is considered an elective procedure — now put on hold as hospitals focus on COVID-19 cases.
On March 13, the American College of Surgeons called on physicians to halt nonessential procedures.
But what, exactly, is an elective procedure? Like many people, I assumed it meant facelifts or perhaps knee replacements that could be delayed without damage. And like many people, I was wrong.
Elective surgery is, by definition, any surgery that is scheduled. That means cancer surgery, organ transplants and other lifesaving procedures, all of which are now put on hold — in some cases indefinitely.
San Francisco Bay Area surgeon Mary Cardoza is juggling multiple breast cancer patients. But she can’t operate on any of them. Breast cancer surgery, it turns out, is considered an elective procedure — now put on hold as hospitals focus on COVID-19 cases.
On March 13, the American College of Surgeons called on physicians to halt nonessential procedures.
But what, exactly, is an elective procedure? Like many people, I assumed it meant facelifts or perhaps knee replacements that could be delayed without damage. And like many people, I was wrong.
Elective surgery is, by definition, any surgery that is scheduled. That means cancer surgery, organ transplants and other lifesaving procedures, all of which are now put on hold — in some cases indefinitely.
Four nonprofits in Tucson working to provide aid to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic received a leg-up today after Tucson Federal Credit Union made thousands of dollars in donations to their efforts.
“The impact of COVID-19 will have long-term physical, mental and emotional effects on many members of our community,” said Tucson Federal Credit Union President and CEO Susan Stansberry. “Our duty as a partner to many non-profits is to offer assistance now to their important causes to continue helping those with more needs in our beloved community.”
The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, which provides emergency food and supplies to those in need, received $20,000. The food bank provides aid and resources to five different counties in Southern Arizona: Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, and Santa Cruz, totaling 23,000 square miles and over 1.2 million people.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in Southern Arizona, the food bank is now producing approximately 8,000 meals a week.
Support the food bank by donating online at communityfoodbank.org.
The credit union also gave $15,000 to Old Pueblo Community Services, which works to provide housing for those leaving the prison system. The funding will go to helping staff assist those leaving incarceration homeless.
Go online to helptucson.org for more information and to donate.
Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse also received a $15,000 donation. As previously reported by Tucson Local Media, Emerge! operates an emergency shelter for survivors, a 24/7 bilingual crisis helpline, prevention and intervention services, support groups and several education-based programs aimed at ending domestic abuse. They are the largest organization in Southern Arizona dedicated to helping domestic abuse survivors, and all of their services are still available during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the statewide stay-home order puts individuals facing domestic violence at greater risk.
“Due to COVID-19, domestic abuse survivors are forced to isolate in the very spaces that may threaten their lives—not because of illness, but because of abuse,” said Emerge! Marketing and Communications Coordinator Mariana Calvo. “As an essential crisis service provider, we remain operational for the survivors needing support in our community. The cost of offering these services has increased substantially as we work to overcome the many challenges associated with operating an essential service during a pandemic, which means community donations are more important than ever.”
If you’re interested in supporting Emerge at this time, please visit emergecenter.org/donate.
The Children’s Clinics’ Comprehensive Services for Children and Teens also received $15,000. The organization supplies a medical campus that provides families with a one-stop location for rehabilitative, medical, dental, behavioral health, and primary care services.
For more information, or to support the Children’s Clinic, go online to childrensclinic.org.
“The impact of COVID-19 will have long-term physical, mental and emotional effects on many members of our community,” said Tucson Federal Credit Union President and CEO Susan Stansberry. “Our duty as a partner to many non-profits is to offer assistance now to their important causes to continue helping those with more needs in our beloved community.”
The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, which provides emergency food and supplies to those in need, received $20,000. The food bank provides aid and resources to five different counties in Southern Arizona: Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, and Santa Cruz, totaling 23,000 square miles and over 1.2 million people.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in Southern Arizona, the food bank is now producing approximately 8,000 meals a week.
Support the food bank by donating online at communityfoodbank.org.
The credit union also gave $15,000 to Old Pueblo Community Services, which works to provide housing for those leaving the prison system. The funding will go to helping staff assist those leaving incarceration homeless.
Go online to helptucson.org for more information and to donate.
Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse also received a $15,000 donation. As previously reported by Tucson Local Media, Emerge! operates an emergency shelter for survivors, a 24/7 bilingual crisis helpline, prevention and intervention services, support groups and several education-based programs aimed at ending domestic abuse. They are the largest organization in Southern Arizona dedicated to helping domestic abuse survivors, and all of their services are still available during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the statewide stay-home order puts individuals facing domestic violence at greater risk.
“Due to COVID-19, domestic abuse survivors are forced to isolate in the very spaces that may threaten their lives—not because of illness, but because of abuse,” said Emerge! Marketing and Communications Coordinator Mariana Calvo. “As an essential crisis service provider, we remain operational for the survivors needing support in our community. The cost of offering these services has increased substantially as we work to overcome the many challenges associated with operating an essential service during a pandemic, which means community donations are more important than ever.”
If you’re interested in supporting Emerge at this time, please visit emergecenter.org/donate.
The Children’s Clinics’ Comprehensive Services for Children and Teens also received $15,000. The organization supplies a medical campus that provides families with a one-stop location for rehabilitative, medical, dental, behavioral health, and primary care services.
For more information, or to support the Children’s Clinic, go online to childrensclinic.org.
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
When Ironwood Ridge High School English teacher Doreen Rouille thinks about students not returning to the classroom this year, it’s like the end of a bad movie.
“The screen just turns black,” she said. “It’s over and you’re looking around asking, ‘What happened?’”
What began as an extended spring break has turned into a uniquely disappointing and difficult situation for Doreen and the tens of thousands of other teachers across Arizona working from home or in empty classrooms after Governor Doug Ducey and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman extended school closures through the end of the year.
Doreen saw the initial closure as something like a gift; an extra week to take off and relax before heading back to work. Now, she’s more concerned about not getting to say ‘goodbye’ to a whole class of graduating seniors.
“It's really heartbreaking because I love my students,” she said. “The year is over and I don’t get to say ‘goodbye’ and have closure with them. That’s a very difficult thing to have happen.”
Though she isn’t greeting her students in person anymore, Doreen still sees them every day on a computer screen when they log into her video conferences and receive instruction. But it’s just not the same.
According to Doreen, some of her students are handling the school closure well—while others are clearly struggling with the change to their everyday lives.
“You see it on their faces—they’re sad,” she said. “Some of them are enjoying doing school on their schedule, they can sleep in and play their video games and walk their dogs and then start school at 3, 4, 8 o'clock in the afternoon. But what I’m hearing from them is they didn’t realize how much they needed school. How much they appreciated the structure and how much they depended on it to be social, to see their friends and have structure in their day.”
“The screen just turns black,” she said. “It’s over and you’re looking around asking, ‘What happened?’”
What began as an extended spring break has turned into a uniquely disappointing and difficult situation for Doreen and the tens of thousands of other teachers across Arizona working from home or in empty classrooms after Governor Doug Ducey and Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman extended school closures through the end of the year.
Doreen saw the initial closure as something like a gift; an extra week to take off and relax before heading back to work. Now, she’s more concerned about not getting to say ‘goodbye’ to a whole class of graduating seniors.
“It's really heartbreaking because I love my students,” she said. “The year is over and I don’t get to say ‘goodbye’ and have closure with them. That’s a very difficult thing to have happen.”
Though she isn’t greeting her students in person anymore, Doreen still sees them every day on a computer screen when they log into her video conferences and receive instruction. But it’s just not the same.
According to Doreen, some of her students are handling the school closure well—while others are clearly struggling with the change to their everyday lives.
“You see it on their faces—they’re sad,” she said. “Some of them are enjoying doing school on their schedule, they can sleep in and play their video games and walk their dogs and then start school at 3, 4, 8 o'clock in the afternoon. But what I’m hearing from them is they didn’t realize how much they needed school. How much they appreciated the structure and how much they depended on it to be social, to see their friends and have structure in their day.”
Maps, like this one from Johns Hopkins University, are 'meaningless'.
Because the amount of testing that can be done is tied to the limited number of tests available, even the known case count is an under-representation, Dr. Engald said.
“For every case we’re reporting, there are probably 50, maybe even 100 others of milder illness or asymptomatic infection out there,” he said.
Considering the potential for widespread infection, England said any effort to map cases would be “truly meaningless.” He added that any records would only contain home addresses of sick residents, not where they were infected.
“If there are 20,000, maybe 40,000 people with this infection in Pima County at this point, if you live in Marana—it’s up there,” England said. “If you live in Green Valley, it’s up there. If you live in the foothills, it’s there. If you live downtown or in South Tucson, it's everywhere.”
Even though he said such an effort would be fruitless at this time, England expects the county to perform such a task in the future.
The number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in Arizona had reached 2,575 as of Tuesday, April 7, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pima County had 415 of the state’s confirmed cases.
The coronavirus had killed 73 people statewide, including 15 in Pima County, according to the Pima County Health Department.
In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 1,495.
