Monday, May 11, 2020
As part of a partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services, MHC Healthcare is taking part in Arizona’s COVID-19 “testing blitz” this Saturday, May 16.
The company will host testing at two locations: MHC Main at 13395 N. Marana Main St. in Marana and MHC Integrated care at 2325 N. Wyatt Drive in Tucson. Testing will be available from 8 to 11 a.m.
“MHC Healthcare is proud to participate in the Arizona Testing Blitz,” said CEO Clint Kuntz. “It is our privilege to join other healthcare providers in Pima County to ramp up vital testing.”
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced an increase in testing Monday, April 27, with a goal to test up to 60,000 Arizonans over the course of three weekends.
According to a memo published by Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry last week, several counties throughout the state haven’t received enough test kits to keep up with the testing blitz goals.
No physician's order is required to receive a free test. Residents are asked to bring identification and proof of insurance if they have it. MHC asks that anyone present for testing wear a mask. The clinic will utilize either nasal or throat swabs for the test.
Attendees will have to answer questions and follow the registration process.
“We want to make this process as easy as possible, but we need basic information from each person who presents for testing,” said MHC Medical Directo Jenitza Serrano, MD.
The company will host testing at two locations: MHC Main at 13395 N. Marana Main St. in Marana and MHC Integrated care at 2325 N. Wyatt Drive in Tucson. Testing will be available from 8 to 11 a.m.
“MHC Healthcare is proud to participate in the Arizona Testing Blitz,” said CEO Clint Kuntz. “It is our privilege to join other healthcare providers in Pima County to ramp up vital testing.”
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced an increase in testing Monday, April 27, with a goal to test up to 60,000 Arizonans over the course of three weekends.
According to a memo published by Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry last week, several counties throughout the state haven’t received enough test kits to keep up with the testing blitz goals.
No physician's order is required to receive a free test. Residents are asked to bring identification and proof of insurance if they have it. MHC asks that anyone present for testing wear a mask. The clinic will utilize either nasal or throat swabs for the test.
Attendees will have to answer questions and follow the registration process.
“We want to make this process as easy as possible, but we need basic information from each person who presents for testing,” said MHC Medical Directo Jenitza Serrano, MD.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
On Tuesday, March 31, an emergency room doctor at the main hospital in Grand Island, Nebraska, sent an urgent email to the regional health department: “Numerous patients” from the JBS beef packing plant had tested positive for COVID-19. The plant, he feared, was becoming a coronavirus “hot spot.”
The town’s medical clinics were also reporting a rapid increase in cases among JBS workers. The next day, Dr. Rebecca Steinke, a family medicine doctor at one of the clinics, wrote to the department’s director: “Our message is really that JBS should shut down for 2 weeks and have a solid screening plan before re-opening.”
Teresa Anderson, the regional health director, immediately drafted a letter to the governor.
But during a conference call that Sunday, Gov. Pete Ricketts made it clear that the plant, which produces nearly 1 billion pounds of beef a year and is the town’s largest employer, would not be shut down.
On Tuesday, March 31, an emergency room doctor at the main hospital in Grand Island, Nebraska, sent an urgent email to the regional health department: “Numerous patients” from the JBS beef packing plant had tested positive for COVID-19. The plant, he feared, was becoming a coronavirus “hot spot.”
The town’s medical clinics were also reporting a rapid increase in cases among JBS workers. The next day, Dr. Rebecca Steinke, a family medicine doctor at one of the clinics, wrote to the department’s director: “Our message is really that JBS should shut down for 2 weeks and have a solid screening plan before re-opening.”
Teresa Anderson, the regional health director, immediately drafted a letter to the governor.
But during a conference call that Sunday, Gov. Pete Ricketts made it clear that the plant, which produces nearly 1 billion pounds of beef a year and is the town’s largest employer, would not be shut down.
Tucson Premium Outlets reopened Monday morning at 11 a.m. after closing to slow the spread of COVID-19 on March 19. The shopping center announced it would open its stores Friday, and unveiled a coronavirus exposure control policy in order to meet elevated safety standards.
"The health, safety, and well-being of the community we serve will always be our highest priority, and we have developed a thorough and detailed set of protocols highlighting the exceptional measures we’ve implemented for shoppers, retailers, and employees as we reopen,” said outlets general manager Kyra Monroe, in a release. “We also recognize that individuals and families in our community are suffering significant hardship as a result of both COVID-19 and the economic shutdown, and we believe that reopening our property will not only help people get back to work during these challenging times but also enable us to use our property to further support charitable initiatives."
The outlets shared its enhanced safety protocol with all its tenants, who are expected to meet those guidelines.
"The health, safety, and well-being of the community we serve will always be our highest priority, and we have developed a thorough and detailed set of protocols highlighting the exceptional measures we’ve implemented for shoppers, retailers, and employees as we reopen,” said outlets general manager Kyra Monroe, in a release. “We also recognize that individuals and families in our community are suffering significant hardship as a result of both COVID-19 and the economic shutdown, and we believe that reopening our property will not only help people get back to work during these challenging times but also enable us to use our property to further support charitable initiatives."
The outlets shared its enhanced safety protocol with all its tenants, who are expected to meet those guidelines.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
The links to the viral video “Plandemic” started showing up in my Facebook feed Wednesday. “Very interesting,” one of my friends wrote about it. I saw several subsequent posts about it, and then my brother texted me, “Got a sec?”
My brother is a pastor in Colorado and had someone he respects urge him to watch “Plandemic,” a 26-minute video that promises to reveal the “hidden agenda” behind the COVID-19 pandemic. I called him and he shared his concern: People seem to be taking the conspiracy theories presented in “Plandemic” seriously. He wondered if I could write something up that he could pass along to them, to help people distinguish between sound reporting and conspiracy thinking or propaganda.
So I watched “Plandemic.” I did not find it credible, as I will explain below. YouTube, Facebook and Vimeo have since removed it from their platforms for violating their guidelines. Now it’s available on its own site.
The links to the viral video “Plandemic” started showing up in my Facebook feed Wednesday. “Very interesting,” one of my friends wrote about it. I saw several subsequent posts about it, and then my brother texted me, “Got a sec?”
My brother is a pastor in Colorado and had someone he respects urge him to watch “Plandemic,” a 26-minute video that promises to reveal the “hidden agenda” behind the COVID-19 pandemic. I called him and he shared his concern: People seem to be taking the conspiracy theories presented in “Plandemic” seriously. He wondered if I could write something up that he could pass along to them, to help people distinguish between sound reporting and conspiracy thinking or propaganda.
So I watched “Plandemic.” I did not find it credible, as I will explain below. YouTube, Facebook and Vimeo have since removed it from their platforms for violating their guidelines. Now it’s available on its own site.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
Ten weeks into the worst crisis in 90 years, the government’s effort to save the economy has been both a spectacular success and a catastrophic failure.
The clearest illustration of that came on Friday, when the government reported that 20.5 million people lost their jobs in April. It marked a period of unfathomable pain across the country not seen since the Great Depression. Also on Friday, the stock market rallied.
The S&P 500 is now up 30% from its lows in mid-March and back to where it was last October, when the outlook for 2020 corporate earnings looked sunshiny. Companies have sold record amounts of debt in recent weeks for investment-grade companies. Junk bonds, historically dodgy during an economic swoon, have roared back.
If you’re looking for investors’ verdict on who has won the bailout, consider these returns: Shares of Apollo Group, the giant private equity firm, have soared 80% from their lows. The stock of Blackstone, another private equity behemoth, has risen 50%.
The reason: Asset holders like Apollo and Blackstone — disproportionately the wealthiest and most influential — have been insured by the world’s most powerful central bank. This largess is boundless and without conditions. “Even if a second wave of outbreaks were to occur,” JPMorgan economists wrote in a celebratory note on Friday, “the Fed has explicitly indicated that there is no dollar limit and no danger of running out of ammunition.”
Ten weeks into the worst crisis in 90 years, the government’s effort to save the economy has been both a spectacular success and a catastrophic failure.
The clearest illustration of that came on Friday, when the government reported that 20.5 million people lost their jobs in April. It marked a period of unfathomable pain across the country not seen since the Great Depression. Also on Friday, the stock market rallied.
The S&P 500 is now up 30% from its lows in mid-March and back to where it was last October, when the outlook for 2020 corporate earnings looked sunshiny. Companies have sold record amounts of debt in recent weeks for investment-grade companies. Junk bonds, historically dodgy during an economic swoon, have roared back.
If you’re looking for investors’ verdict on who has won the bailout, consider these returns: Shares of Apollo Group, the giant private equity firm, have soared 80% from their lows. The stock of Blackstone, another private equity behemoth, has risen 50%.
The reason: Asset holders like Apollo and Blackstone — disproportionately the wealthiest and most influential — have been insured by the world’s most powerful central bank. This largess is boundless and without conditions. “Even if a second wave of outbreaks were to occur,” JPMorgan economists wrote in a celebratory note on Friday, “the Fed has explicitly indicated that there is no dollar limit and no danger of running out of ammunition.”
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 11,000 of Monday, May 11, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had 1,602 of the state’s 11,380 confirmed cases.
The coronavirus had killed 542 people statewide, including 134 in Pima County, according to the report.
In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 5,988.
Because symptoms can take as long as two weeks to appear after exposure to the virus (while some people can remain entirely asymptomatic), health officials continue to urge the public to avoid unnecessary trips and gatherings of more than 10 people and have advised people to cover their faces with masks in public.
While Arizona remains under a stay-at-home order through May 15, Gov. Doug Ducey has given the green light for restaurants and bars that offer food service to reopen today. Restrictions have also been lifted on stores, barber shops and salons.
Businesses such as gyms and movie theaters remain shuttered, but Ducey has said he wanted the state’s economy to gradually reopen.
But some members of the medical community said Ducey’s move may have come soon and will result in greater spread of the virus. State Rep. Randy Friese, an emergency room doctor, warned last week that by relaxing so many standards so quickly, Ducey was risking losing all the progress that state has made in stemming the disease.
Dr. Bob England, the director of the Pima County Health Department, said last week that the true results wouldn’t be known for weeks as test results tend to lag behind the actual spread of the virus.
“It will take a few weeks to know the impact of this so we won’t know until early June what all of this is doing to the epidemic curve,” England said in a daily briefing.
England urged people to continue social distancing and wear masks and said older people and those with underlying health conditions should remain at home as much as possible.
Congressman Raul Grijalva said last week that it was too soon to open because the state has not done enough testing.
“All of us are eager to return to some semblance of normality, but this decision cannot be made in haste,” Grijalva said in a prepared statement to the press. “Prematurely reopening the state not only risks losing more of our loved ones, but also further crippling our local communities by deepening the spread of a virus that has already taken far too great of a toll. I am deeply concerned that the state is continuing a push to reopen while the number of new cases has risen over the past 14 days and Arizona is last in the nation in testing per capita.”
COVID-19 symptoms typically occur two to 14 days after exposure, and include headache, fever, cough, and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. However, some cases of the virus are entirely asymptomatic. Practices to avoid infection include social distancing (of at least six feet), washing your hands, avoiding unnecessary trips and not touching your face. COVID-19 can survive on cardboard for up to 24 hours, and on stainless steel and plastic surfaces up to three days.
If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, speak with a healthcare provider for medical advice. According to the CDC, people who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to recover at home. Stay at home and avoid public transportation, but stay in touch with your doctor. If you do leave your home, wear a facemask and clean your hands often. If you develop more severe symptoms (persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, bluish lips) get medical attention immediately. Your local health authorities will give instructions on checking your symptoms and reporting information.
Have you caught COVID-19? Are you feeling ill? Is your small business struggling to make it? Have you lost your job as a result of the outbreak? Are you struggling to manage your kids while schools are closed? Tell us your COVID-19 stories. Send an email or photo to [email protected].
Pima County had 1,602 of the state’s 11,380 confirmed cases.
The coronavirus had killed 542 people statewide, including 134 in Pima County, according to the report.
In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 5,988.
Because symptoms can take as long as two weeks to appear after exposure to the virus (while some people can remain entirely asymptomatic), health officials continue to urge the public to avoid unnecessary trips and gatherings of more than 10 people and have advised people to cover their faces with masks in public.
While Arizona remains under a stay-at-home order through May 15, Gov. Doug Ducey has given the green light for restaurants and bars that offer food service to reopen today. Restrictions have also been lifted on stores, barber shops and salons.
Businesses such as gyms and movie theaters remain shuttered, but Ducey has said he wanted the state’s economy to gradually reopen.
But some members of the medical community said Ducey’s move may have come soon and will result in greater spread of the virus. State Rep. Randy Friese, an emergency room doctor, warned last week that by relaxing so many standards so quickly, Ducey was risking losing all the progress that state has made in stemming the disease.
Dr. Bob England, the director of the Pima County Health Department, said last week that the true results wouldn’t be known for weeks as test results tend to lag behind the actual spread of the virus.
“It will take a few weeks to know the impact of this so we won’t know until early June what all of this is doing to the epidemic curve,” England said in a daily briefing.
England urged people to continue social distancing and wear masks and said older people and those with underlying health conditions should remain at home as much as possible.
Congressman Raul Grijalva said last week that it was too soon to open because the state has not done enough testing.
“All of us are eager to return to some semblance of normality, but this decision cannot be made in haste,” Grijalva said in a prepared statement to the press. “Prematurely reopening the state not only risks losing more of our loved ones, but also further crippling our local communities by deepening the spread of a virus that has already taken far too great of a toll. I am deeply concerned that the state is continuing a push to reopen while the number of new cases has risen over the past 14 days and Arizona is last in the nation in testing per capita.”
COVID-19 symptoms typically occur two to 14 days after exposure, and include headache, fever, cough, and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. However, some cases of the virus are entirely asymptomatic. Practices to avoid infection include social distancing (of at least six feet), washing your hands, avoiding unnecessary trips and not touching your face. COVID-19 can survive on cardboard for up to 24 hours, and on stainless steel and plastic surfaces up to three days.
If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, speak with a healthcare provider for medical advice. According to the CDC, people who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to recover at home. Stay at home and avoid public transportation, but stay in touch with your doctor. If you do leave your home, wear a facemask and clean your hands often. If you develop more severe symptoms (persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, bluish lips) get medical attention immediately. Your local health authorities will give instructions on checking your symptoms and reporting information.
Have you caught COVID-19? Are you feeling ill? Is your small business struggling to make it? Have you lost your job as a result of the outbreak? Are you struggling to manage your kids while schools are closed? Tell us your COVID-19 stories. Send an email or photo to [email protected].
Friday, May 8, 2020
Happy Friday, everyone! Here's a look at the things we covered today.
- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 10,500 of Thursday, May 8, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
- If you're a restaurant owner, we'd like to hear from you if you're opening next week.
- Retail and cosmetology shops are officially allowed to reopen to the public today under Gov. Doug Ducey’s modified stay-at-home order, but many owners around Historic Fourth Avenue are opting to stay closed until COVID case numbers decrease in Pima County.
- Tucson’s original second-hand clothing store will reopen to the public beginning Saturday, May 9, the company announced Thursday.
- The Resilience Summit, which is free and online for anyone who might like to hear from the experts, has opened its registration in time for Mental Health Awareness Month.
- The Arizona Trail Association is hoping the community will voice concern to help to stop construction of the border barriers near its southern trailhead through the Huachuca Mountains in Cochise County.
- When assisted living facilities, memory care homes and hospitals began limiting visits and shutting their doors to the public amid the outbreak of COVID-19, the creative minds at the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance knew there was a need to fill.
- Are you an FC Tucson fan? Do you want to give blood and potentially save a life? Do you like signed memorabilia? Well, you’re in luck.
- The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum received a strong vote of confidence this week when it was granted accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums independent accreditation commission.
- For their dedication to students and hardworking attitudes, several local teachers were recently honored by Tucson Values Teachers with the Teacher Excellence Award.
- Trying to track down your stimulus check from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act?
- Turn down the lights and get the cognac ready tonight because Tucson's favorite neo-soul singer, Seanloui, isn't letting the pandemic stop him from live-streaming his baby-making music live for our viewing pleasure.
- Commentary from Leigh Moyer, an organizer with #Fight4HER: Sen. Martha McSally Should Oppose Global Gag Rule
Looking for something to do tonight while stuck inside?
Turn down the lights and get the cognac ready tonight because Tucson's favorite neo-soul singer, Seanloui, isn't letting the pandemic stop him from live-streaming his baby-making music live for our viewing pleasure.
"It's my live show that a lot of people haven't seen but heard it worldwide on Spotify," Seanloui said. "A lot of people out there don't get to see what we do for the songs in a live capacity."
Tonight, Seanloui will be the first guest on No Audience Needed, a new live-streaming project from the mind of local stage and lighting guru Kevin Dowling. The project plans on live-streaming twice a week on its YouTube channel, noaudience.live.
Dowling works for Total Lighting Support, a company that provides lighting for events and large concerts. With the company's schedule cleared, as well as the schedules of other local audio/visual companies due to the shutdown, Dowling got a great idea.
Turn down the lights and get the cognac ready tonight because Tucson's favorite neo-soul singer, Seanloui, isn't letting the pandemic stop him from live-streaming his baby-making music live for our viewing pleasure.
"It's my live show that a lot of people haven't seen but heard it worldwide on Spotify," Seanloui said. "A lot of people out there don't get to see what we do for the songs in a live capacity."
Tonight, Seanloui will be the first guest on No Audience Needed, a new live-streaming project from the mind of local stage and lighting guru Kevin Dowling. The project plans on live-streaming twice a week on its YouTube channel, noaudience.live.
Dowling works for Total Lighting Support, a company that provides lighting for events and large concerts. With the company's schedule cleared, as well as the schedules of other local audio/visual companies due to the shutdown, Dowling got a great idea.
Trying to track down your stimulus check from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act? Look no further than the Internal Revenue Service’s “Get My Payment” program. Use the program by next Wednesday, May 13, if you want direct deposit to your bank account.
Approximately 130 million individuals have already received payments worth more than $200 billion in the program’s first four weeks. Starting later this month, the number of paper checks being delivered to taxpayers will sharply increase, according to the IRS. For many taxpayers, the last chance to obtain a direct deposit of their Economic Impact Payment rather than receive a paper check is coming soon.
People should visit this website by noon Wednesday, May 13, to check on their payment status and, when available, provide their direct deposit information.
Approximately 130 million individuals have already received payments worth more than $200 billion in the program’s first four weeks. Starting later this month, the number of paper checks being delivered to taxpayers will sharply increase, according to the IRS. For many taxpayers, the last chance to obtain a direct deposit of their Economic Impact Payment rather than receive a paper check is coming soon.
People should visit this website by noon Wednesday, May 13, to check on their payment status and, when available, provide their direct deposit information.
If you're a restaurant owner who plans to reopen your establishment for dine-in service next week, let us know. The Weekly is planning on running a list of restaurants that are offering diners a chance to sit down at a table to enjoy their meal. Please e-mail [email protected] with your hours and location(s).
