Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Banner Health, Arizona’s largest healthcare system, reported hospital inpatient numbers are at the highest level since the start of the pandemic during a Dec. 14 press conference.
Banner Health Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel begged the public to get vaccinated ahead of the holiday season during Tuesday’s press conference. Bessel said some Banner hospitals are operating above 100% capacity.
“Currently, COVID patients account for 36% of our ICU (Intensive Care Unit) patients,” Bessel said.
She added that 88% of those COVID ICU patients are unvaccinated "and half of our patients on ventilators are COVID positive.”
Although COVID patients aren’t the only people filling hospital beds, unvaccinated people are more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated people. The Arizona Department of Health Services recently released a report showing unvaccinated Arizonans were 3.9 times more likely to test positive for COVID and were 15.2 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than vaccinated Arizonans.
It’s been exactly one year since COVID vaccines became available in Arizona. On Dec. 14, 2021, Gov. Doug Ducey announced Arizona had received the first doses of COVID vaccines. The past year provided ample opportunities for research on the safety and efficacy of vaccinations. The AZDHS report shows an overwhelmingly positive impact the vaccines have on personal safety and lowering the need for hospital stays related to COVID infection.
“My top ask of the community at this time is for all who are eligible to get vaccinated and receive your boosters if you have not yet done so,” Bessel said. “This is the best way to prevent serious COVID illness that requires hospital-level care.”
Bessel said Banner is at a contingency level of care but could transition to crisis standards of care if hospitalizations continue to rise.
Contingency level of care means that hospitals are not operating normally. Bessel said Banner staffers have been doing less documentation and certain patients may have experienced prolonged wait times for non-essential healthcare visits. Healthcare staff is also being moved to different units they don’t normally work in to support the lack of health care workers. The national labor shortage hit the healthcare workforce hard this last year.
“We are experiencing the impact of this shortage in our hospitals, with many core team members who decided to retire, exit the healthcare industry, or transition to non-bedside roles because of prior surges and the enormous physical and mental impact the pandemic has had on them,” Bessel said.
Banner Health has hired 2,600 travel workers to support on-site staffing.
Crisis standards of care are determined by the State of Arizona and AZDHS has a procedural plan to provide healthcare institutions with guidance. According to AZDHS, crisis standards of care will only occur during the most extreme disasters that directly impact the healthcare system.
AZDHS guidelines say crisis standards of care will apply when most of the community’s infrastructure is in bad shape; local officials can’t perform their roles to assist the community; community functions are irregular, and there’s a major strain on regional resources.
Although Arizona healthcare systems have not hit this threshold, Bessel said it is possible. Banner Health estimates future hospital needs by forecasting surges in inpatient care and recent forecasts are not positive.
“If our continued forecast holds true, we will be in a position where we will be unable to meet the care needs of all of Arizonans,” Bessel said.
The current forecast from Banner Health says hospital needs will continue to increase until a peak in mid-January.
The estimate follows the timeline of seasonal holiday celebrations. Public health officials have been reluctant to tell people to avoid family gatherings during the holiday season, but they recommend wearing a mask indoors if family members are not vaccinated and to get vaccinated before congregating with family members.
Friday, December 10, 2021
The Arizona Department of Health Services and Yavapai County Community Health Services confirmed Arizona’s first known case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant on Dec. 8.
Although some initial data from the South African Medical Research Council indicates the Omicron variant may have less severe symptoms than previous mutations, health officials advise the public to receive vaccinations or booster shots if they have already gotten vaccinated.
Pfizer-BioNTech released preliminary results from a non-peer-reviewed study showing the Pfizer COVID-19 two-dose vaccination series will somewhat neutralize the omicron variant, but three doses is most effective.
“I think that this finding from Pfizer should be reassuring and should reaffirm to people how important it is for them to get a booster and if they are not vaccinated to please seek vaccination as soon as possible, especially with the holidays coming up,” Pima County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen said during a Dec. 8 press conference.
As scientists race to understand Omicron, vaccines are the best option to avoid national shutdowns. Cullen said that people who are vaccinated protect themselves, their families and their communities.
“While it is not the only way out of this pandemic, it is an essential component for us to be able to move forward and to start recovering,” Cullen said.
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
The Pima County Health Department, in partnership with the City of Tucson, is offering free COVID-19 vaccines at the Tucson Convention Center.
The vaccine clinic is in the TCC east lobby, 260 S. Church Ave. adjacent to the DoubleTree Hotel, and will operate Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free parking is available in the Lot A Garage, which can be accessed from Church Avenue.
All three vaccines are available to adults at all stages - first, second, third doses and boosters. Pfizer shots will also be available for kids age 5 through 18. Vaccinations will be provided on a walk-in basis.
COVID-19 vaccinations are widely available throughout Pima County. A complete list can be found at pima.gov/covid19vaccine. Vaccinations are also available at pharmacies and health care providers throughout the county. Contact your local provider for more information.
Friday, November 19, 2021
PHOENIX – As hospitalizations rise and the holidays approach, health officials concerned about a new wave of infections are urging Arizonans to take preventative measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza.
Maricopa County last week experienced the biggest spike in daily cases since August, peaking at 4,708 on Nov. 8. COVID 19 hospitalizations and ICU cases also are up at the state’s largest hospital systems, placing strain on a workforce already struggling with staff shortages.
“We still have some capacity, but we’re stretched thin,” Dr. Michael White, chief clinical officer at Valleywise Health, told a news conference Wednesday. “It’s not just available space to take care of folks, it’s the qualified health care professionals and the team we need to be able to care for patients at the ICU level of care.”
White said there were 40 COVID-positive patients hospitalized on Wednesday, twice the number of three weeks ago.
Banner Health, Arizona’s largest health care system, which treats 44% of all COVID 19 cases in the state, reports a significant increase in COVID 19 admissions in the last week. Banner on Tuesday reported the highest ICU census in the past eight months.
The largest spike in the pandemic so far in Arizona occurred in early January, just after last year’s holiday season.
In the face of this growing concern, White stressed the importance of getting vaccinated, and he advised against relying on recently developed antiviral pills, such as Molnupiravir.
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Pima County is expanding COVID booster eligibility rules to allow anyone over 18 to get the booster.
As Pima County hospitals fill up because of an increase in COVID cases, county officials are expanding eligibility ahead of the CDC’s recommendation.
Banner Health officials announced earlier this week that they have seen a significant increase in COVID ICU admissions and that COVID patients now account for more than a third of all ICU patients in Banner’s Arizona hospitals.
Dr. Joe Gerald, an epidemiologist with the UA Zuckerman School of Public Health who has been tracking COVID cases since the virus first arrived in Arizona, reported that as of Nov 10, 24% of Arizona’s general ward beds were used by COVID-19 patients—a 16% increase from a week before.
COVID hospitalizations align with the increasing trend of rising COVID-19 cases all over Arizona. As of Nov 7, Arizona’s COVID cases increased by 30% from the week prior, according to Gerald’s COVID report. From Nov 1 to Nov 9, Pima County cases increased by 38%, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen said at a Nov. 17 press conference that 25% of cases reported in October were of vaccinated people. The breakthrough infection rate has risen from 1% to 1.2%, indicating to health officials that vaccines have lower effectiveness over time.
“Vaccination is not sufficient to prevent transmission and clearly vaccination does not last forever, it doesn’t work that way for the flu either,” Pima County Chief Medical Officer and Deputy County Administrator Dr. Francisco Garcia said during the Pima County Board of Supervisors Nov. 16 meeting.
Health officials found that breakthrough cases tend to happen at about six months after full vaccination. As a result, Pima County health officials are urging all Pima County residents to get a booster shot if it’s been six months since their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two months since their single shot of Johnson & Johnson.
Friday, November 12, 2021
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Monday, November 8, 2021
The Pima County Health Department began offering Pfizer COVID-19 pediatric vaccine shots to children ages 5 through 11 at its East, North and Theresa Lee clinics in Tucson on Nov. 5.
Vaccinations are free. No identification is required, but children receiving the vaccine must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Masks must be worn inside the clinics.
Appointments are strongly recommended, but vaccinations can be provided on a walk-in basis. Call the clinics to make appointments.
East Clinic, 6920 E. Broadway, 520-724-9650
- Monday, Thursday: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
- Tuesday: 8 a.m. to noon
- Friday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
North Clinic: 3550 N. First Ave., 520-724-2880
- Monday: 8 a.m.-noon
- Wednesday, Friday: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
- Thursday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Theresa Lee Health Center, 1493 W. Commerce Court, 520-724-7900
Monday, Tuesday: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
- Wednesday: 1-5 p.m.
- Friday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
PCHD expects to offer vaccinations for 5- to 11-year-olds at additional locations, including the Abrams Public Health Center and numerous school sites, starting Monday, Nov. 8. Information on COVID-19 vaccinations for all age groups can be found at pima.gov/covid19vaccine.
