Monday, September 14, 2020
With 213 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 208,000 as of Monday, Sept. 14, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 22,511 of the state’s 207,725 confirmed cases.
A total of 5,322 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 602 deaths in Pima County, according to the Sept. 14 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline from July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Sept. 13, 489 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the lowest that number has been since April 8, when 338 COVID patients were hospitalized.. That number peaked at 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 861 people visited emergency rooms on Sept. 13 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 168 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Sept. 13, the lowest that number has been since April 8, when 155 COVID patients were in ICU. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
On a week-by-week basis in Pima County, the number of positive COVID tests peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,396 cases, according to a Sept. 11 report from the Pima County Health Department. While a vocal minority continues to insist that masks do no good, the spread of the virus began to decline within weeks of Pima County’s mask mandate, as more people began wearing them in public, although the level of new cases has essentially plateaued in recent weeks rather than continuing to drop. For the week ending Aug. 22, the number of new cases dropped to 528; for the week ending Aug. 29, 514 new cases were reported; and for the week ending Sept. 5, a total of 527 cases were reported. (Recent weeks are subject to revision.)
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 55 in the week ending July 4 to 19 for the week ending Aug. 15, 13 for the week ending Aug. 22 and nine in the week ending Aug. 29. (As above, these numbers are subject to revision as recent deaths may not have been reported.)
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 239 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals. For the week ending Aug. 29, 36 COVID patients were admitted to Pima County hospitals and in the week ending Sept. 5, 21 patients were admitted to Pima County hospitals. (Numbers are subject to revision.)
Cases spiking among UA students
Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik warned yesterday that the off-campus private residential towers near Speedway and Park Avenue are a breeding ground for COVID.
The Ward 6 Democrat said that testing had shown that in HUB Tucson, 45 of 490 residents had tested positive for COVID, some of whom had tested negative through the UA’s rapid-result antigen test.
“With 490 residents living in a confined congregate setting, the likelihood is the virus is already spreading throughout the building at an alarming pace,” Kozachik warned.
Kozachik said his request that management test all residents was rejected.
Thursday, September 10, 2020
Last night, the board of Tucson’s largest public school district voted to move forward with a hybrid learning model on Monday, Oct. 19, if Pima County’s downward COVID-19 data trends continue.
The Tucson Unified School District has been teaching the majority of its student body through remote learning since March, when in-person classes were canceled in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. Although new cases spiked in June and July, a steady decrease in viral transmission throughout the state has been evident in recent weeks.
According to Pima County’s COVID-19 Progress Report, five of the nine health criteria are making “progress” or have been officially “met.” The progress report tracks local disease data, healthcare capacity and public health capacity.
Because of this, TUSD Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo recommended to the board members during their Sept. 9 meeting that the district embrace the public health data indicating it is safe for a hybrid model of education. This would comprise “some kind of a combination of return to traditional in-person learning, standing alongside the online learning model that parents will still be able to opt-in to,” Trujillo said.
While some district staff and families have expressed concern over reopening schools during a global pandemic, Trujillo said the entire plan is contingent on the Pima County Health Department’s recommendation that it is safe to move to a hybrid model during the week of Oct. 19. If Coronavirus cases begin to rise again, the plan may be put on hold.
The board also agreed to begin a phased reopening of district administration departments on Monday, Sept. 21.
At the board’s next meeting on Sept. 22, Trujillo will bring forward his initial proposal with more detail on what hybrid learning will look like in TUSD.
For more information, visit govboard.tusd1.org.
Tags: Tucson Unified School District , TUSD , Hybrid Learning , Reopening , Gabriel Trujillo , Image
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
The University of Arizona administration took a stern tone during their Sept. 9 press conference as they indicated consequential action will be taken against students who refuse to follow the university’s rules to prevent disease transmission.
When UA began the fall semester on Aug. 24, they established a public health campaign, free COVID-19 tests, antibody tests, personal protective equipment and other infrastructure to prevent an outbreak on campus. But the administration has found that when students go off-campus, they aren’t following the rules and new COVID-19 positive cases have surfaced.
In sorority and fraternity houses, UA President Dr. Robert Robbins reported high positive percentages among residents: 10 positives of 21 residents in one house, 19 of 30 in another, and 15 of 35 in another.
Because of this transmission, Robbins said it is likely that some Greek life residents will be put on quarantine. Pima County Public Health Director Dr. Theresa Cullen added that during the state’s shelter-in-place order, the positive percentage of COVID-19 tests was around 10 percent.
“When Dr. Robbins shares these percentages, they translate into positivity rates that are far beyond 10 percent,” Cullen said.
She noted that the university is quickly getting into a situation where “we will have to take an aggressive stance.” Any Greek house quarantines would be supervised and supported by the county health department.
Robbins said the university has provided support to off-campus housing management companies and the Greek community to increase awareness of COVID-19 and the proper preventative measures.
About 90 dorm students are currently in isolation units on-campus after testing positive for COVID-19. The administration’s stance is if students refuse to follow social distancing and mask rules, there will be restrictions of activity.
Tags: University of Arizona , COVID-19 , Coronavirus , Robert Robbins , Richard Carmona , Theresa Cullen , Image
It’s been six months since March 9, when local officials including Tucson Mayor Regina Romero held a press conference, warning that the virus had arrived in Pima County.
In that time, we’ve seen Arizona become a global hotspot for the virus, but in recent weeks, the numbers have declined as more people wear masks, avoid crowds and stay at home unless they are making an important trip.
Today’s numbers
With 496 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases reached 206,541 as of Wednesday, Sept. 9, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 22,071 confirmed cases.
A total of 5,251 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 596 deaths in Pima County, according to the Sept. 9 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline from July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Sept. 8, 658 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state. That number peaked at 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 843 people visited emergency rooms on Sept. 8 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 203 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Sept. 3, the lowest that number has been since April 8, when 155 people were in ICU. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
The COVID Curve
On a week-by-week basis in Pima County, the number of positive COVID tests peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,398 cases, according to a Sept. 4 report from the Pima County Health Department. While a vocal minority continues to insist that masks do no good, the spread of the virus began to decline within weeks of Pima County’s mask mandate, as more people began wearing them in public. For the week ending Aug. 22, the number of new cases dropped to 495 and for the week ending Aug. 29, 455 new cases were reported.
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to 20 for the week ending Aug. 15 and 13 for the week ending July 22. (Note that these numbers are subject to revision as recent cases and deaths may not have been reported.)
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 239 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals. For the week ending Aug. 29, 30 COVID patients were admitted to Pima County hospitals.
Pima County demographics
With the six-month mark upon us, here are some numbers from Pima County:
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
With just 81 new cases reported on Labor Day, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 206,000 as of Tuesday, Sept. 8, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 22,035 of the state’s 206,045 confirmed cases.
A total of 5,221 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 596 deaths in Pima County, according to the Sept. 8 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline from July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Sept. 7, 657 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, the lowest that number has been since April 19, when 637 COVID patients were in the hospital. That number peaked at 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 855 people visited emergency rooms on Sept. 7 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 212 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Sept. 3, the lowest that number has been since April 8, when 155 people were in ICU. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
On a week-by-week basis in Pima County, the number of positive COVID tests peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,398 cases, according to a Sept. 4 report from the Pima County Health Department. While a vocal minority continues to insist that masks do no good, the spread of the virus began to decline within weeks of Pima County’s mask mandate, as more people began wearing them in public. For the week ending Aug. 22, the number of new cases dropped to 495 and for the week ending Aug. 29, 455 new cases were reported.
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to 20 for the week ending Aug. 15 and 13 for the week ending July 22. (Note that these numbers are subject to revision as recent cases and deaths may not have been reported.)
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 239 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals. For the week ending Aug. 29, 30 COVID patients were admitted to Pima County hospitals.
Benchmarks met to allow schools to begin hybrid learning
Pima County last week reached benchmarks indicating that it has moved from “substantial” spread of the coronavirus to “moderate” spread, meaning local school districts can now consider hybrid learning that would allow some students to return to the classroom while others continue distance learning.
Friday, September 4, 2020
This week, University of Arizona President Dr. Robert Robbins and Campus Reentry Task Force Director Dr. Richard Carmona announced they will partner with the Tucson Police Department to crack down on COVID-19 safety violations that occur off-campus.
The UA began its fall semester on Aug. 24 and has seen new COVID-19 cases pop up since students returned to Tucson. Although many classes are operating remotely, university officials believe off-campus student gatherings and social activity have been the driving cause of these new cases.
In a press conference earlier this week, Robbins said all the safety precautions and systems put in place by the university to prevent transmission of the disease on campus requires students, staff and faculty to follow the rules. But what students do in their free time off-campus is by nature unregulated and prime for safety violations—until now.
The university’s new Campus Area Response Team (CART) is a joint effort between the university and TPD focused on responding to reports of student social gatherings that “violate city ordinances and undermine health and safety guidelines,” according to a press release.
In partnership with the city and county, the police will be responding to residential complaints in neighborhoods surrounding the university. Businesses in the University Boulevard/Fourth Avenue corridor have been asked to reinforce public health directives at this time.
“We encourage everyone: Please do not have large gatherings,” Robbins said at the press conference. “We know that is ripe for transmission of this deadly virus.”
Tags: University of Arizona , Robert Robbins , Richard Carmona , Tucson Police Department , COVID-19 , Safety Precautions , Image
With 728 new cases today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 204,000 as of Friday, Sept. 4, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 21,574 of the state’s 204,681 confirmed cases.
A total of 5,171 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 593 deaths in Pima County, according to the Sept. 3 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline from July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Sept. 3, 742 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state. That number peaked at 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 814 people visited emergency rooms on Sept. 3 with COVID symptoms, the lowest that number has been since June 4, when 725 COVID patients visited ERs. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 236 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Sept. 3, the lowest that number has been since April 8, when 155 people were in ICU. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
In Pima County, the week-by-week counting of cases peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,398 cases, according to an Aug. 26 report from the Pima County Health Department. Those numbers have dropped with Pima County requiring the wearing of masks in public but they have bumped upward recent weeks, with 804 cases in the week ending Aug. 8 and 930 cases in the week ending Aug. 15. (Not all recent cases may have been reported.)
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to 35 for the week ending Aug. 8 and 15 for the week ending Aug. 15.
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 247 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals. For the week ending Aug. 15, 63 COVID patients were admitted to Pima County hospitals.
UA antibody testing open to all
The FDA gave approval to the University of Arizona’s antibody test. As a result, the testing has now been opened to all Arizonans as the state attempts to get 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.
Benchmarks met to allow schools to begin hybrid learning
Pima County yesterday reached benchmarks indicating that it has moved from “substantial” spread of the coronavirus to “moderate” spread, meaning local school districts can now consider hybrid learning that would allow some students to return to the classroom while others continue distance learning.
Pima County has had less than 100 cases per 100,000 individuals for two consecutive weeks; two straight weeks with the percentage of positive tests below 7 percent; and two consecutive weeks with the total of people visiting hospitals with COVID-like symptoms at less than 10 percent of the total number of people seeking medical attention.
Local school district boards will have to consider the new numbers before making decisions as to how to proceed following the Labor Day holiday.
Get Help From City of Tucson While You Can
Time is running out to get aid from the City of Tucson if you’ve experience a COVID-related hardship.
Thursday, September 3, 2020
The Arizona Interscholastic Association is allowing the upcoming high school fall sports season to proceed after recent state metrics show COVID-19 cases on a downward trend.
Football practice for many Arizona high schools could begin as soon as Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7.
“The metrics have gotten to a place that we can start football practice,” AIA Executive Director David Hines said. “We can get kids in a helmet and shoulder pads and begin doing work.”
During a special meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 2, the AIA Executive Board voted in favor of endorsing guidelines set by the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. The SMAC guidelines include social distancing, staying home when sick and no physical contact like high fives or fist bumps.
Modifications are being made to team schedules, and the qualification process for postseason advancement. The AIA plans on announcing the updates shortly once finalized.
Schools across the state will have control over when they allow fans back to watch the fall season in person. For more information, contact your local school to see if they’re allowing fans in the stands.
The 2020-2021 winter sports season is still expected to start one week later than previously scheduled to accommodate for amendments to the fall sports season, according to the AIA Executive Board.
AIA Fall Sports Schedule:
Football
First Practice: Sept. 7
First Competition: Sept. 30-Oct. 3
Championships: Dec. 11/12 (4A-6A & Open)
The 1A-3A conferences are currently discussing possibilities for length of their regular seasons and when to hold state championships.
With more than 1,000 new cases today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 204,000 as of Thursday, Sept. 3, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 21,443 of the state’s 203,953 confirmed cases.
A total of 5,130 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 590 deaths in Pima County, according to the Sept. 3 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline from July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Sept. 2, 745 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state. That number peaked at 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 924 people visited ERs on Sept. 1 with COVID symptoms. That number has seen some uptick this week but remains far below the peak of 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 241 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Sept. 2, the lowest that number has been since April 8, when 155 people were in ICU. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
In Pima County, the week-by-week counting of cases peaked the week ending July 4 with 2,398 cases, according to an Aug. 26 report from the Pima County Health Department. Those numbers have dropped with Pima County requiring the wearing of masks in public but they have bumped upward recent weeks, with 804 cases in the week ending Aug. 8 and 930 cases in the week ending Aug. 15. (Not all recent cases may have been reported.)
Deaths in Pima County are down from a peak of 54 in the week ending July 4 to 35 for the week ending Aug. 8 and 15 for the week ending Aug. 15.
Hospitalization peaked the week ending July 18 with 247 COVID patients admitted to Pima County hospitals. For the week ending Aug. 15, 63 COVID patients were admitted to Pima County hospitals.
Benchmarks met to allow schools to begin hybrid learning
Pima County today reached benchmarks indicating that it has moved from “substantial” spread of the coronavirus to “moderate” spread, meaning local school districts can now consider hybrid learning that would allow some students to return to the classroom while others continue distance learning.
Pima County has had less than 100 cases per 100,000 individuals for two consecutive weeks; two straight weeks with the percentage of positive tests below 7 percent; and two consecutive weeks with the total of people visiting hospitals with COVID-like symptoms at less than 10 percent of the total number of people seeking medical attention.
Local school district boards will have to consider the new numbers before making decisions as to how to proceed following the Labor Day holiday.
Get Help From City of Tucson While You Can
Time is running out to get aid from the City of Tucson if you’ve experience a COVID-related hardship.
Wednesday, September 2, 2020
The national GDP dropped by more than 30 percent at the beginning of the outbreak in the United States and since then, national unemployment has risen to 10.2 percent. However, Marana has reported strong revenue numbers and received additional funds from the federal CARES Act.
During the Sept. 1 council meeting, Marana Finance Director Yiannis Kalaitzidis said Marana’s hotel occupancy rate fell by about 10 percent and hotel revenues fell by about 11 percent in July compared to last year. The number of issued housing permits remains strong in Marana, with 855 single-family housing permits issued in fiscal year 2020 compared to 802 in 2019.
In April through June, restaurant and bar revenues dropped by about 20 percent, while retail revenues increased by six percent. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Marana officials anticipated a sharp drop in sales tax revenues. But revenues only took a minor dip in April and May, and came back even stronger than projections from before COVID-19 in June and July.
“However, it is still too early to determine what’s going to happen as our future really does depend very much on the federal relief funds, how effective they’re going to be and if we find a solution for the virus,” Kalaitzidis said.
The Town of Marana passed a reduced budget for fiscal year 2020-21 in anticipation of the negative financial impact of the Coronavirus. The town government slimmed their budget by deferring capital projects, delaying or freezing new hires and restricting budget capacity in certain departments.
Kalaitzidis recommends the council stay with this current budget and monitor new revenue numbers closely in order to anticipate future changes.
