Monday, November 2, 2020
The University of Arizona is reporting elevated COVID-19 cases reflective of a state-wide uptick after large gatherings occurred over the Halloween weekend, UA President Robert C. Robbins said in a news conference Monday, Nov. 2.
From Oct. 23 through Nov. 1, UA found 79 positive coronavirus cases after administering 7,122 tests for a positivity rate of 1.1%, an increase from the 0.6% rate the university reported the previous 10-day period.
The university found seven gatherings with over 100 attendees throughout the past week. UA’s CART team, a collaboration with the UA and Tucson police departments that looks for noncompliance to COVID-19 precautions, responded to 18 incidents since Oct. 26.
“This is not just a nuisance. These people who are acting indiscriminately are placing all of us at risk,” Reentry Task Force Director Richard Carmona said.
The university allowed classes of 50 or fewer students to return to campus last week as it continues phase 2 of its reopening plan. According to Carmona, there have been no issues with classroom transmissibility.
Robbins says the university will continue in this phase until fall break on Nov. 26 if public health metrics tracking the spread of coronavirus allow. However, some of these metrics are beginning to cause concern.
“We’re concerned about the deterioration of conditions nationally,” Robbins said. “While Pima County is faring better than some other areas, we do see some signs of concern here as well.”
Carmona said Pima County’s current R0, pronounced “R naught,” which indicates how contagious a virus is, has increased to 1.71 from 0.99 last week. The transmissibility rate for the zip code surrounding the university has increased from 0.68 to 1.25 this week.
Statewide, coronavirus is spreading as fast as it did in June. Carmona went over data showing over the past 14 days, coronavirus cases in the state increased by 67%, while deaths increased by 57%.
As COVID-19 cases rise, the university is continuing its preparation for fall break, requiring all main campus students to complete a survey with their traveling plans. After completing the survey, students will be directed to a website to register for the university’s appointment-only “testing blitz” from Nov. 9-15.
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.
Friday, October 30, 2020
With 1,565 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 244,000 as of Friday, Oct. 30, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 28,296 of the state’s 244,045 confirmed cases.
With 16 new deaths reported yesterday, a total of 5,934 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 639 deaths in Pima County, according to the Oct. 30 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases has declined from July peaks but has ticked upward in recent weeks as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly. ADHS reported that as of Oct. 29, 900 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state. 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 898 people visited emergency rooms on Oct. 29 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 188 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Oct. 29. 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 Oct. 29 report from the Pima County Health Department.
Pima County saw a big bump in cases following the return of UA students, followed by a steady decline and then a big bump upward. For the week ending Sept. 19, 1,230 cases were reported; for the week ending Sept. 26, 615 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 3, 533 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 10, 465 cases were reported; for the week ending Oct. 17, 512 cases were reported; and for the week ending Oct. 24, 829 cases were reported.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
With 1,044 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 241,000 as of Wednesday, Oct. 28, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Over the last week, the state has seen, on average, more than 1,000 new cases a day
With 259 new cases reported today, Pima County had seen 27,962 of the state’s 241,116 confirmed cases.
With 14 new deaths reported yesterday, a total of 5,905 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 636 deaths in Pima County, according to the Oct. 28 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases has declined from July peaks but has ticked upward in recent weeks as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly. ADHS reported that as of Oct. 27, 871 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state. That number peaked with 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients on July 13.
A total of 857 people visited emergency rooms on Oct. 27 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 188 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Oct. 27. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
Arizona Department of Health Director Cara Christ noted on her blog last week that cases in the state were on the increase.
Christ wrote that while Arizona has not seen as big a surge as other states, “we have recently seen a shift of COVID-19 spread in the wrong direction.”
Christ noted that the statewide positivity results from tests has climbed from 3.9 percent to 5.5 percent in recent weeks.
Christ urged Arizonans to wear masks but noted the numbers across the state still indicated “moderate” spread of the coronavirus and hospitals are not reporting a surge of patients.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Tucson’s largest school district will allow students to return to in-person classes starting Nov. 12.
Tucson Unified School District’s governing board voted to return to school in a hybrid model in a 3-2 vote Tuesday night.
Board members Kristel Foster, Bruce Burke and Leila Counts voted to approve the reopening date, and members Adelita Grijalva and Rachael Sedgwick opposed.
The board voted to approve the hybrid learning model on Oct. 6 but delayed voting on when to implement it until Tuesday's special meeting.
Pima County Public Health Director Theresa Cullen discussed the county health department’s three specific guidelines for opening in a hybrid model: a two-week decline in COVID-19 cases, two weeks of percent positivity below 7 percent and hospital visits for COVID-19 illness below 10 percent. As of Oct. 22, Pima County had met all three benchmarks.
“We believe that as a county, it is okay for school districts to go to a hybrid learning model based on the current statistics,” Cullen said.
She noted the health department recommends the district take strict mitigation tactics including increased sanitation, social distancing and universal mask-wearing, as well as reporting COVID-19 cases to the health department and complying with isolation and quarantine guidelines.
The governing board unanimously approved a second motion to authorize “the Superintendent to initiate school closures…if such closures are recommended by the Pima County Health Department and deemed necessary to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Pima County.”
TUSD’s hybrid model
The TUSD board approved a new hybrid model for returning to school in-person that involves separating students into hybrid and online-only groups.
Four days a week, in-person students learn at their physical school sites for the first half of the day and work remotely from home the rest of the day. On Wednesdays, every student attends class remotely.
Remote students work asynchronously in the mornings and attend online teacher-led instruction in the afternoon. While teachers are instructing remote students the second half of the day, students in the hybrid system work asynchronously.
Asynchronous work involves working on class projects and assignments, social-emotional learning lessons with counselors, specialized services and working on digital platforms, according to a presentation from TUSD.
TUSD also came up with a contingency plan if the percentage of students who wish to attend classes in-person is at an unsafe level. This level, which the district refers to as a “threshold,” depends on each campus, but TUSD says most are between 45-60% of students on campus.
If a threshold becomes too high, the school will have the option of splitting their in-person students into two cohorts to attend classes on different days. Cohort A would attend on Mondays and Thursdays while cohort B would attend on Tuesdays and Fridays.
With 1,157 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 240,000 as of Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Over the last week, the state has seen, on average, more than 1,000 new cases a day.
Pima County had seen 27,703 of the state’s 240,122 confirmed cases.
With 16 new deaths reported yesterday, a total of 5,891 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 636 deaths in Pima County, according to the Oct. 27 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases has declined from July peaks but has ticked upward in recent weeks as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly. ADHS reported that as of Oct. 26, 861 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state. That number peaked with 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients on July 13.
A total of 784 people visited emergency rooms on Oct. 26 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 187 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Oct. 26. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
Although President Donald Trump said the “big spike” in Arizona cases was now “gone” during last week’s final presidential debate, Arizona Department of Health Director Cara Christ noted on her blog last week that cases in the state were on the increase.
Christ wrote that while Arizona has not seen as big a surge as other states, “we have recently seen a shift of COVID-19 spread in the wrong direction.”
Monday, October 26, 2020
As local school districts allow students to return to campus in hybrid learning models, they’re reporting positive COVID-19 cases among students and staff, resulting in some students and staff members being asked to quarantine themselves if they were in contact with people who have tested positive.
As of Monday, Marana Unified School District has reported five positive COVID-19 cases with 24 students and staff in quarantine since they reopened in a hybrid model Oct. 19, according to Alli Benjamin, the district’s public relations and community engagement director.
At Mountain View High School, four students tested positive for coronavirus, causing 23 students and employees who were potentially exposed to quarantine. One case was confirmed yesterday, and the other three on Oct. 22, 23 and 24, according to Benjamin.
One student was reported as testing positive at Marana Middle School on Oct. 21, but no potential contacts were established, according to Benjamin.
As of Friday, the Amphitheater Unified School District has reported five positive coronavirus cases resulting in 35 students and staff members quarantining, according to Communications Director Michelle Valenzuela.
Amphitheater reopened in a hybrid model on Oct. 12, and its latest positive COVID-19 case was reported at Walker Elementary School on Friday. One student tested positive, causing two employees to quarantine.
On Oct. 20, one student at La Cima Middle School reported a positive coronavirus test. Although no close contacts to the person were discovered inside the school, three La Clima students who were with the student over the weekend were asked to quarantine themselves.
One student at Canyon del Oro High School reported a positive test Oct. 19, causing 13 students who may have been in contact with the person to self-quarantine.
The week prior, 13 students and one staff member at Ironwood Ridge High School had to quarantine after a student reported a positive test on Oct. 16.
At Mesa Verde Elementary, one staff member reported a positive case on Oct. 14, but no other employees or students were identified as close contacts to require quarantining.
The 10,100 Amphitheater students who opted for hybrid classes attend two days a week and spend the other three learning remotely. About 1,400 students chose to continue attending school completely online.
Friday, October 23, 2020
With 975 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 235,000 as of Friday, Oct. 23, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
In a worrisome trend, the number of cases statewide has climbed by nearly 4,000 in just the last four days.
Pima County had seen 27,297 of the state’s 235,882 confirmed cases.
With six new deaths reported yesterday, a total of 5,865 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, including 635 deaths in Pima County, according to the Oct. 23 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases has declined from July peaks but has ticked upward in recent weeks. ADHS reported that as of Oct. 22, 815 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state. That number peaked with 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients on July 13.
A total of 815 people visited emergency rooms on Oct. 22 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 172 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Oct. 21. The number of COVID patients in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
Arizona Department of Health Director Cara Christ noted on her blog yesterday that cases were on the increase.
Christ wrote that while Arizona has not seen as big a surge as other states, “we have recently seen a shift of COVID-19 spread in the wrong direction.”
Christ noted that the statewide positivity results from tests has climbed from 3.9 percent to 5.5 percent in recent weeks.
Christ urged Arizonans to wear masks but noted the numbers across the state still indicated “moderate” spread of the coronavirus and hospitals are not reporting a surge of patients.
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
In its second week of reopening, the Amphitheater Unified School District has reported four positive coronavirus cases resulting in 32 students and staff members quarantining, Communications Director Michelle Valenzuela said in an email Tuesday.
Amphitheater reopened for in-person classes in a hybrid model on Oct. 12, and its latest positive COVID-19 case was reported today, Oct. 20.
Today, one student at La Cima Middle School reported a positive coronavirus test. Although no close contacts to the person were discovered inside the school, three La Clima students who were with the student over the weekend are quarantining for 14 days.
One student at Canyon del Oro High School reported a positive test Monday, causing 13 students who may have been in contact with the person to self-quarantine.
Last week, 13 students and one staff member at Ironwood Ridge High School had to quarantine after a student reported a positive test on Oct. 16.
At Mesa Verde Elementary, one staff member reported a positive case on Oct. 14, but no other employees or students were identified as close contacts to require quarantining.
The 10,100 Amphitheater students who opted for hybrid classes attend two days a week and spend the other three learning remotely. About 1,400 students chose to continue attending school completely online.
This post has been updated to reflect a fourth positive case reported today.Monday, October 19, 2020
The University of Arizona will allow more students to return to campus this week as metrics tracking the spread of coronavirus remain low, UA President Robert C. Robbins said in a news conference Monday, Oct. 19.
Continuing phase two of its reopening plan, the university will allow classes of 50 or fewer to return the week of Oct. 26, raising last week’s maximum of 30 students.
From Oct. 8-17, UA found 44 positive coronavirus cases after administering 6,867 tests for a positivity rate of 0.6%, the same rate the university reported last week.
“We have five weeks before the break. I’m very proud of the way the university has risen to the challenge so far, but we cannot become complacent,” Robbins said.
With fall break approaching Nov. 26, UA is taking proactive measures to minimize the potential spread of COVID-19 as students travel outside the area.
On Nov. 6, the university will begin a “testing blitz” by appointment only. Students who plan to travel over break and have not received a positive coronavirus test over the past 90 days are “strongly encouraged” to get tested.
All main campus students are required to take a coronavirus antigen test and complete a survey with their fall break traveling plans. Those who travel outside the Tucson area over break are encouraged to complete the semester remotely, according to Robbins.
However, UA students won’t get a similar week off in the spring. Instead of spring break, the university will have five separate “reading days” with no classes held.
“It’s a traumatic step to say we’re not going to have spring break next year, but it’s a really important step,” UA Provost Liesl Folks said. “The CDC is unambiguous about the fact that travel is one of the core ways that we spread the virus around the country.”
Reentry Task Force Director Dr. Richard Carmona highlighted the university’s 4.7% coronavirus positivity rating for their total testing window since the beginning of August. He said although the “desired number” is below 5%, the university shouldn’t get too comfortable.
During the past week, the university’s CART team, a collaboration with the UA and Tucson police departments that looks for noncompliance to COVID-19 precautions, responded to 15 incidents.
“We are happy that the intense public health practices we are inspiring others to adopt in our campus, in our community, are actually doing the job, but we got to push even harder now,” Carmona said.
Monday, October 12, 2020
As the end of the global pandemic continues to lag into the distant future, local businesses are gaming out on how to reach customers effectively yet safely. Startup Tucson, a nonprofit broadly focused on enhancing the Southern Arizona economy through increasing entrepreneur quality, quantity and diversity, has established digital programming to mentor experienced entrepreneurs as well as first-time founders. Startup Tucson’s classes cover online commerce as well as help for entrepreneurs navigating the first steps and risks associated with starting a business.
A new five-part Startup Tucson series starting on Oct. 13, Startup Fundamentals, encompasses these key points. From the start of the program, participants will learn the difference between what it means to an “intentional entrepreneur” and “accidental entrepreneur,” according to Liz Pocock, CEO of Startup Tucson.
“A lot of things are changing in terms of customer behavior," Pocock said. "You’re seeing people interact differently with products online, you’re seeing people interact differently with products in person, so I think now more than ever, it is really important to understand who your customer is and what problem you’re solving for them.”
Pocock explained that entrepreneurs will also learn about the “Lean Business Model Canvas,” which consists of developing a detailed but concise one-page business plan. The business plan is meant to help entrepreneurs understand what risks may arise in launching their business, who their target customers are and what issues they are looking to solve for those customers. Then, modifications can be made to the one-page business plan as the entrepreneur engages in more market research and analysis of competitors.
Additionally, Pocock said that entrepreneurs will learn about customer customer communication skills, figure out the needs of customers and choose the most cost-effective ways to provide the most suitable products.
A customer discovery tool that will be integrated into the lessons is a process Pocock simply calls “experimentation.” This process is meant to help entrepreneurs find the least expensive and least resource-intensive tool possible to reach customers and validate that a product is of interest to them. For example, a business may post a webpage about a product and attach a poll asking what customers think about it, which would be a cheap way to quickly discover how much of a need there is for the product.
“One of the things we try to help founders understand is that sometimes you can validate your market before you spend all of this funding into it,” Pocock said.
Lastly, Startup Fundamentals will cover some entrepreneurial finance basics as well as business basics such as an overview of possible registrations needed, deciding between being a corporation, LLC, or sole proprietorship and dealing with business law and accounting.
At the end, entrepreneurs will compose short presentations to give to the Startup Tucson team and other mentors to help develop a solid pitch of what their business is.
This program is open to any type of business. Pocock explained that even though it will be especially beneficial to first-time founders, it is also meant to assist entrepreneurs who may have had to start their businesses quickly in the past without having all of the foundational knowledge needed. Another type of entrepreneur Pocock referred to, is the type that has been in operation for a while but is now looking to pivot. This could be for example, somebody who has only sold products in-person, and now must shift to fully online.
Pocock believes that this program is especially beneficial during times of COVID-19 because of the rate that the business world is changing. She also explained that despite some of the negative effects of COVID on the economy and the entrepreneurial ecosystem, now actually is a great time to start a business and propel it into the local economy.
“Entrepreneurs are very very important to our local economy,” Pocock said. “I think we’re going to see a return to localism and we’re going to see a return to wanting to shop in our community, so if you’ve ever thought about launching a business for Tucsonans, now is the time to explore that.”
