Thursday, November 12, 2020
As coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations continue to rise across the state, Arizona’s public health officials are warning of an active increase in the virus that will worsen without widespread mitigation tactics.
The statewide percent positivity for COVID-19 increased to 9% last week. A rate of 5% is a good indicator the spread of the virus is under control.
Arizona reported over 13,000 cases the week of Nov. 1, an 187% increase from the beginning of last month, according to data from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS).
“Arizonans need to remain vigilant, now is not the time to let our guard down,” ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ said in a COVID-19 video update for Nov. 10. “We have seen a concerning increase in the COVID-19 rates in many counties over the past few weeks.”
Today, Arizona reported nearly 1,400 new coronavirus cases and hit a statewide total of 266,562 cases. Pima County reported 191 new cases today and has seen 31,538 total cases.
According to Christ. COVID-19-like illness is also on the rise with increased inpatient and emergency room visits. She said although the state’s hospitals are reporting sufficient capacity, they’re also reporting a higher number of beds in use.
The Arizona Surge Line, a system established by ADHS in April that prevents one hospital from becoming overwhelmed by facilitating COVID-19 patient admission and transfer, is seeing increased instances of these transfers. Christ called this “an early indicator of hospital capacity concerns.”
PHOENIX – It’s official. AZ Preps 365 has released its first football rankings after a one-week delay.
As usual, they are full of surprises, like they are most every year.
But this year, the rankings endured a different process because so many teams had to cancel games and shuffle their schedules to accommodate either their own or opponents’ COVID-19 outbreaks.
The undefeated Chandler Wolves are in the 6A top spot, followed by the 5-0 Hamilton Huskies and then, surprisingly, the 4-2 Liberty Lions. Undefeated Corona Del Sol and Mountain View round out the top five.
The Saguaro Sabercats, who are ranked No. 3 in the state by Maxpreps, clocked in at No. 6 in the 5A state rankings. The Sabercats have had numerous last-minute cancellations, but have been able to replace two of their canceled games and are on pace to move up in next week’s rankings. 5A newcomers Desert Edge and Salpointe Catholic, both undefeated, sit at the top of the conference rankings.
“Last year, 97% of the eligible 207 schools for postseason play completed a minimum five games prior to the first release of the rankings, with all schools playing at least four games,” said Seth Polansky, AIA sports information coordinator. “With the cancellations due to this unique year, only 73% of the eligible 145 schools for football postseason have completed a minimum of five games, with some schools only completing two to three games thus far. It is based on those statistics the AIA has decided to push the first release of the 11-man football rankings to Nov. 10.”
As it stands right now, the Open Division features 6A’s Chandler, Hamilton, and Liberty, 5A’s Desert Edge, Salpointe Catholic, Sunrise Mountain and Sunnyslope, and 4A’s Casa Grande. This would leave out 2019 Open Division No. 2 seed Centennial, No. 8 seed Chaparral and Saguaro, which was seeded third.
“With the amount of planning that goes into this event, we feel there is too much uncertainty to take the chance of continuing forward at this time,” Mark Baird, Chairman of the Board, Tucson Rodeo said in a released statement. "This difficult decision is in the best interest of the health and safety of our community, guests, volunteers, vendors, sponsors and contestants."
The Tucson Rodeo typically brings in $15 million in revenue to surrounding businesses in the area each year, according to the release. The board donates approximately $250,000 to charitable organizations on average.
Organizers hope COVID-19 subsides in the near future and are already planning the 2022 Rodeo for Feb. 19-27.
With nearly 1,400 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases climbed past 266,000 as of Thursday, Nov. 12, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 191 new cases today, has seen 31,538 of the state’s 266,562 confirmed cases.
After 12 new deaths were reported today, a total of 6,240 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 669 deaths in Pima County, according to the Nov. 12 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. 11, 1,368 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the highest that number has been since Aug. 12. 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 1,121 people visited emergency rooms on Nov. 11 with COVID symptoms, the highest that number has been since Aug. 5. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A total of 331 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Nov. 11, the highest that number has been since Aug. 21. 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. 9 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, 545 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 24, 911 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 31, 1,247 cases were reported; and for the week ending Nov. 7, 1,227 cases were reported.
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to three in the week ending Oct 10, one in week ending Oct. 17, four in the week ending Oct. 24 and four in the week ending Oct. 31.
Hospitalization admission peaked the week ending July 18 with 221 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals, but it has been on the rise in recent weeks. In the week ending Oct. 17, 37 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 24,40 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 31, 52 people were admitted; and in the week ending Nov. 7, 34 people were admitted.
Get tested: Pima County offers free COVID testing, UA offering antibody testing
The Pima County Health Department has four free testing centers around town with easy-to-schedule appointments—often with same-day availability—with results in 24 to 72 hours.
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.
As the first coronavirus vaccine takes a major stride toward approval, state governments’ distribution plans show many are not ready to deliver the shots.
The challenge is especially steep in rural areas, many of which are contending with a surge of infections, meaning that access to the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines may be limited by geography.
Pfizer announced Monday that its vaccine demonstrated more than 90% effectiveness and no serious bad reactions in early trial results — an impressive outcome that will pave the way for the company to seek an emergency authorization once it collects more safety data for another week or two. But establishing that the vaccine is safe and effective is just the first step.
The Pfizer vaccine is unusually difficult to ship and store: It is administered in two doses given 28 days apart, has to be stored at temperatures of about minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit and will be delivered in dry ice-packed boxes holding 1,000 to 5,000 doses. These cartons can stay cold enough to keep the doses viable for up to 10 days, according to details provided by the company. The ice can be replenished up to three times. Once opened, the packages can keep the vaccine for five days but can’t be opened more than twice a day. The vaccine can also survive in a refrigerator for five days but can’t be refrozen if unused.
Health officials haven’t figured out how to get the ultracold doses to critical populations living far from cities, according to a ProPublica review of distribution plans obtained through open records laws in every state. Needing to use 1,000 doses within a few days may be fine for large hospital systems or mass vaccination centers. But it could rule out sending the vaccine to providers who don’t treat that many people, even doctors’ offices in cities. It’s especially challenging in smaller towns, rural areas and Native communities on reservations that are likely to struggle to administer that many doses quickly or to maintain them at ultracold temperatures.
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
With more than 2,000 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases climbed past 265,000 as of Wednesday, Nov. 11, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 191 new cases today, has seen 31,204 of the state’s 265,163 confirmed cases. After 36 new deaths were reported today, a total of 6,228 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 659 deaths in Pima County, according to the Nov. 11 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. 10, 1,360 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the highest that number has been since Aug. 12. 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 1,103 people visited emergency rooms on Nov. 10 with COVID symptoms, the highest that number has been since Aug. 5. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A total of 309 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Nov. 10, the highest that number has been since Aug. 24. 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. 4 report from the Pima County Health Department.
Pima County is seeing a steady rise in cases in recent weeks. For the week ending Oct. 10, 465 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 17, 543 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 24, 911 cases were reported; and for the week ending Oct. 31, 1,166 cases were reported.
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to four in the week ending Oct. 3, two in the week ending Oct 10, one in week ending Oct. 17, two in the week ending Oct. 24 and one in the week ending Oct. 31.
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 221 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals, but it has been on the rise in recent weeks. In the week ending Oct. 3, 20 patients were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 10, 27 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 17, 37 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 24, 34 people were admitted; and in the week ending Oct. 31, 41 people were admitted. (Recent weeks are subject to revision.)
Get tested: Pima County offers free COVID testing, UA offering antibody testing
The Pima County Health Department has four free testing centers around town with easy-to-schedule appointments—often with same-day availability—with results in 24 to 72 hours.
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.
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
With more than 3,400 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases soared past 263,000 as of Tuesday, Nov. 10, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
That’s the highest single-day jump in cases since July 25.
Pima County, which reported 520 new cases today, has seen 31,013 of the state’s 263,133 confirmed cases.
After 28 new deaths were reported today, a total of 6,192 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 659 deaths in Pima County, according to the Nov. 10 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. 9, 1,289 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the highest that number has been since Aug. 13. 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 1,023 people visited emergency rooms on Nov. 9 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 294 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Nov. 9, the highest that number has been since Aug. 26. 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. 4 report from the Pima County Health Department.
Pima County is seeing a steady rise in cases in recent weeks. For the week ending Oct. 10, 465 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 17, 543 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 24, 911 cases were reported; and for the week ending Oct. 31, 1,166 cases were reported.
Monday, November 9, 2020
As a key metric tracking the spread of coronavirus in Pima County is likely to shift to substantial spread this week, the Tucson Unified School District will not open as planned this Thursday, Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo announced in a letter to the district’s families Friday.
“In my briefings this week with the Pima County Health Department leadership team, I was informed that our county will be in a state of widespread community transmission of COVID-19 at the time of our planned opening,” Trujillo said in the letter. “Out of an abundance of caution, our leadership team has made a commitment to only initiate ‘hybrid’ instruction when Pima County is in a state of moderate transmission or better.”
The district approved a Nov. 12 reopening date in a hybrid model at an Oct. 27 governing board meeting when Pima County Public Health Director Theresa Cullen said the county had, at the time, met the health department’s three guidelines for opening in a hybrid model: two weeks with new case rates below 100 per 100,000, two weeks of percent positivity below 7 percent and hospital visits for COVID-19 illness below 10 percent.
Pima County reported 1,207 new cases the week of Oct. 25-31, which will likely put it in the “substantial spread” category for a two-week decline in cases when the county’s progress report is updated this Thursday.
In a Facebook post, TUSD Governing Board Member Adelita Grijalva said in-person classes will resume in January 2021.
Last week, Cullen predicted the metric tracking a two-week decline in cases—a key benchmark the state based its school reopening guidelines on—would likely move to substantial spread.
“We're showing numbers of 900 to 1,000 [per week], which means on the dashboard, that first disease measure is more than 100 cases per hundred thousand, puts us into the red, which is accelerated transmission. My guess, even though that number is not 1,000 yet for week 44, I think I'm expecting it will hit that.”
Now that the health department’s data reports show more than 1,000 cases reported for week 44 (Oct. 25-31), Cullen’s prediction will likely come true.
As statewide coronavirus data trends upward, the University of Arizona is showing elevated COVID-19 cases compared to recent weeks as it gears up for a pre-fall break testing blitz, UA President Robert C. Robbins shared in a news conference Monday, Nov. 9.
From Oct. 29 through Nov. 7, UA found 71 positive coronavirus cases after administering 8,345 tests for a positivity rate of 0.9%, a slight decrease from the 1.1% rate the university reported the previous 10-day period. Before that, the university reported a 0.6% positivity rate.
In the two weeks before fall break, the university will allow classes of 50 or fewer students to meet in-person, remaining in stage two of its reopening plan. After the break, all classes will be remote until the end of the semester, Robbins said.
Today, the university began its “testing blitz” to reduce the spread of the virus as travel is likely to increase over the holiday season. Until Nov. 15, students are asked to register for an appointment-only test after completing a survey with their traveling plans.
If students travel outside the Tucson area over fall break, the university is asking them to complete the semester outside the area or remotely online. Those who don’t travel can complete the semester from their student residences.
Reentry Task Force Director Richard Carmona went over statewide COVID-19 data that shows a 14-day increase in cases of 68 percent, and a 289 percent increase in deaths throughout Arizona.
Pima County’s COVID-19 cases are also increasing, and Carmona said “from the beginning of October, we were doing pretty well, and all of a sudden we’re on the rise again.”
Pima County’s current R0, pronounced “R naught”—which indicates how contagious a virus is by showing the average number of people who will contract the virus from an infected person—is at 1.69. The transmissibility rate for the zip code surrounding the university has increased from 1.25 to 2.22 this week, according to Carmona.
With close to 5,000 new cases reported since Friday, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases was nearing 260,000 as of Monday, Nov. 9, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 30,493 of the state’s 259,699 confirmed cases.
A total of 6,164 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 659 deaths in Pima County, according to the Nov. 9 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. 8, 1,232 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the highest that number has been since Aug. 14. 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 992 people visited emergency rooms on Nov. 8 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 292 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Nov. 8, the highest that number has been since Aug. 26. 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. 4 report from the Pima County Health Department.
Pima County is seeing a steady rise in cases in recent weeks. For the week ending Oct. 10, 465 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 17, 543 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 24, 911 cases were reported; and for the week ending Oct. 31, 1,166 cases were reported.
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to four in the week ending Oct. 3 (WEEK 40), two in the week ending Oct 10, one in week ending Oct. 17, two in the week ending Oct. 24 and one in the week ending Oct. 31.
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 221 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals, but it has been on the rise in recent weeks. In the week ending Oct. 3, 20 patients were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 10, 27 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 17, 37 people were admitted; in the week ending Oct. 24, 34 people were admitted; and in the week ending Oct. 31, 41 people were admitted. (Recent weeks are subject to revision.)
TUSD cancels plans to return to classroom
With the recent rise of cases, Tucson Unified School District Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo informed parents on Friday that Tucson’s largest school district would not be resuming in-classroom instruction this week as previously planned.
“In my briefings this week with the Pima County Health Department leadership team, I was informed that our county will be in a state of widespread community transmission of COVID-19 at the time of our planned opening,” Trujillo wrote. “Out of an abundance of caution, our leadership team has made a commitment to only initiate ‘hybrid’ instruction when Pima County is in a state of moderate transmission or better.”
TUSD now tentatively plans to launch hybrid in-classroom instruction after winter break in January 2021.
Other local school districts such as Amphi, Marana, Catalina Foothills and Sunnyside have had “hybrid” in-class instruction programs running since sometime in October.
Get tested: Pima County offers free COVID testing, UA offering antibody testing
The Pima County Health Department has four free testing centers around town with easy-to-schedule appointments—often with same-day availability—with results in 24 to 72 hours.
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.
