Thursday, February 4, 2021
With 4,417 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases surpassed 771,000 as of Thursday, Feb. 4, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 736 new cases today, has seen 103,448 of the state’s 771,796 confirmed cases.
With 176 new deaths reported today, a total number of 13,752 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 1,868 deaths in Pima County, according to the Feb. 4 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide has declined in recent weeks, with 3,303 in the hospital as of Feb. 3. That number peaked at 5,082 on Jan. 11. The summer peak was 3,517, which was set on July 13, 2020. The subsequent lowest number of hospitalized COVID patients was 468, set on Sept. 27, 2020.
A total of 1,633 people visited emergency rooms on Feb. 3 with COVID symptoms, down from the record high of 2,341 set on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. That number had peaked during the summer wave at 2,008 on July 7, 2020; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28, 2020.
A total of 946 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Feb. 3, down from a peak of 1,183 set on Jan. 11. The summer’s record number of patients in ICU beds was 970, set on July 13, 2020. The subsequent low was 114 on Sept. 22, 2020.
How to get a vaccine
Currently, Pima County is providing vaccination shots to people 75 and older as well as educators, first responders and healthcare workers. Those who currently qualify in Pima County’s 1B priority group of eligible vaccine recipients can register for a vaccine at www.pima.gov/covid19vaccineregistration or by calling 520-222-0119.
Health officials worry Super Bowl could be super spreader
While COVID-19 cases have declined for the second week in a row, the top clinical leader of Arizona’s largest hospital system warns the state’s medical facilities remain overloaded.
Banner Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel said 44% of Arizona’s hospitalized patients have COVID-19 while 60% of ICU hospitalizations are for coronavirus patients.
The state’s seven-day average positivity rate for the virus is at 16%, according to Bessel. While this is lower than the peak of Arizona’s winter surge, health experts say communities should maintain a rate below 5%.
Bessel said the cause for the decline in cases is “multifactorial.” The holiday season of large gatherings is over, and the natural trends of any pandemic contain surges and declines.
But with the upcoming Super Bowl Sunday this weekend, Banner’s leader warns everyone to continue to avoid large gatherings to prevent another COVID-19 spike.
“Any gathering of individuals with whom you don't live with offers the opportunity for spread to occur. When you're with others that you don't live with, wear your mask appropriately and certainly do not go out and gather with individuals if you are not feeling well,” Bessel said. “We hope that everybody can take appropriate precautions so that we do not have another spike post this upcoming Super Bowl Sunday, like we did after Christmas, for instance.”
Banner to expand elective surgeries
On Jan. 22, Bessel announced Banner will resume some outpatient surgeries and procedures that require no more than a one-night stay and no ICU care would resume.
As of Feb. 1, Banner hospitals expanded these criteria to include all outpatient surgeries and inpatient surgeries that require no more than three nights stay in a regular inpatient bed or one night’s stay in the ICU. However, the ultimate decision to conduct a surgery will depend on conditions at each facility.
While hospitals continue to be inundated with COVID-19 patients, the backlog of delayed surgeries makes conditions even busier.
More contagious COVID-19 variant identified in Arizona
Although COVID-19 cases are declining, the emergence of the virus’ more contiguous mutations could cause a worsening spread in the future.
Coronavirus variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil have been discovered in the U.S. In Arizona, at least three test samples have come back positive for the presence of the UK variant, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Bessel said the vaccine may not work as well against the variants as the original coronavirus, but the current COVID-19 vaccines still provide protection.
“While research is ongoing, vaccines appear to be less effective against this variant, though still within the protective range and are highly recommended,” she said. “There's still a lot unknown about the COVID variant and what it will do to the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. For this reason, we continue to stress when it's your turn to get your vaccine, please get vaccinated.”
Vaccine available now in Marana and Oro Valley area
MHC Healthcare is currently scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments for those above 75 in the Marana and Oro Valley areas.
On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, appointments will take place at MHC Healthcare Marana Main Health Center at 13395 N. Marana Main St.
Beginning this week, vaccinations will take place every Thursday at the James D. Kriegh Park at 23 W Calle Concordia in Oro Valley.
Appointments will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and residents of Oro Valley, Marana, Dove Mountain, Catalina, Avra Valley, Picture Rocks and Summer Haven can register at mhchealthcare.org.
Vaccinations at both locations will be administered in a drive-thru setting using the Moderna vaccine.
As of Monday, MHC had received 2,300 vaccines from the Pima County Health Department and administered 1,714.
Get tested: Pima County has free COVID testing
Pima County offers a number of testing centers around town.
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.
In addition, the Pima County Health Department, Pima Community College and Arizona State University have partnered to create new drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites at three Pima Community College locations. At the drive-thru sites, COVID-19 testing will be offered through spit samples instead of nasal canal swabs. Each site will conduct testing from 9 a.m. to noon, and registration is required in advance. Only patients 5 years or older can be tested.
Schedule an appointment at these or other pop-up sites 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.
—with additional reporting from Austin Counts, Jeff Gardner, Nicole Ludden and Mike Truelsen
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
While COVID-19 cases have declined for the second week in a row, the top clinical leader of Arizona’s largest hospital system warns the state’s medical facilities remain overloaded.
Banner Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel said 44% of Arizona’s hospitalized patients have COVID-19 while 60% of ICU hospitalizations are for coronavirus patients.
The state’s seven-day average positivity rate for the virus is at 16%, according to Bessel. While this is lower than the peak of Arizona’s winter surge, health experts say communities should maintain a rate below 5%.
Bessel said the cause for the decline in cases is “multifactorial.” The holiday season of large gatherings is over, and the natural trends of any pandemic contain surges and declines.
But with the upcoming Super Bowl Sunday this weekend, Banner’s leader warns everyone to continue to avoid large gatherings to prevent another COVID-19 spike.
“Any gathering of individuals with whom you don't live with offers the opportunity for spread to occur. When you're with others that you don't live with, wear your mask appropriately and certainly do not go out and gather with individuals if you are not feeling well,” Bessel said. “We hope that everybody can take appropriate precautions so that we do not have another spike post this upcoming Super Bowl Sunday, like we did after Christmas, for instance.”
Banner to expand elective surgeries
On Jan. 22, Bessel announced Banner will resume some outpatient surgeries and procedures that require no more than a one-night stay and no ICU care would resume.
As of Feb. 1, Banner hospitals expanded these criteria to include all outpatient surgeries and inpatient surgeries that require no more than three nights stay in a regular inpatient bed or one night’s stay in the ICU. However, the ultimate decision to conduct a surgery will depend on conditions at each facility.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero has proposed replacing Council Member Paul Durham with former Ward 3 Councilmember Karin Uhlich, who served three terms on the council between 2005 and 2017, when she decided against seeking reelection.
Durham announced earlier this week that he would resign on March 1 rather than complete the final year of his term. Durham took a leave of absence from the council in September to care for his husband, who is suffering from terminal cancer.
Romero has called a special meeting of the council on March 1 to appoint someone to finish out the remainder of Durham's term.
“Karin has previously been elected by the residents of Ward 3, knows the neighborhoods, understands city government, and can step into the role without a learning curve, which is particularly valuable during these unprecedented times,” said Romero in a prepared statement. “Council Member Durham and I believe Karin is the best choice, and we wanted to propose this early ahead of the March 1 special meeting to help ensure a smooth transition and avoid uncertainty. I also believe that we should not appoint someone who is running for the Ward 3 seat to avoid the perception of tipping the scale for any one candidate.”
Durham said he was on board with the plan.
"I support the nomination of Karin Uhlich to serve the remainder of my term,” Durham said. “Karin knows the issues facing Ward 3, and will be able to step in and work with my staff to ensure the continuity of services. It has been an honor to serve the residents of Ward 3, and I know they will be in good hands with Karin.”
Uhlich moved out of Ward 3 during her final term in office, but she told The Weekly on Wednesday that she has since moved back into the ward.
Uhlich said she would not seek election to the Ward 3 seat later this year.
Juan Padres, who ran against Pima County Supervisor in 2020, has said he is interested in running for the seat later this year.
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Pima County has administered 114,165 COVID-19 vaccines as of Feb. 1 but has only completed 18,691 series of the two doses needed to be fully immunized.
This week, the county’s vaccine allocation from the state rose to 165,950, up from 140,425 doses last week, according to Arizona Department of Health Services data.
While Pima County struggles to vaccinate nearly 150,000 currently eligible—the 75+ population, educators, childcare providers and protective service workers—Maricopa County’s two 24-hour state-run PODS are receiving nearly 35,000 doses more than the entirety of Pima County, according to data from ADHS.
The two PODs—one at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale that opened on Jan. 11 and a second at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium on that opened Monday—have been allocated 200,850 vaccine doses.
Maricopa County has been allocated 461,375 vaccines on top of its state-run PODs and has administered 297,469 doses as of Monday.
Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry made the case for allocating more vaccines to Pima County in a Jan. 29 memo.
“While population is one measure, another measure would be the percent of the population that is more vulnerable to COVID-19 than other population components within the County,” he wrote.
The county administrator compared racial groups, individuals over 65, those living below the federal poverty level and those in the state’s Medicaid program in Pima and Maricopa counties. These populations are expected to be most impacted by the pandemic.
Of Pima County’s population, 38% are Hispanic, 20% are above age 65, 14% live below the poverty level and 31% are enrolled in Arizona’s Medicaid program, according to the memo.
In Maricopa County, 31% are Hispanic, 16% are above 65, 12% live below the poverty level and 28% are enrolled in state Medicaid.
Despite struggling for the county’s fair share of vaccines, Huckelberry also announced the next group to be eligible for the vaccine, those over 65, could be able to register for vaccines by “early February.”
After working out the many kinks of the county’s registration site, Huckelberry now believes the website will be able to handle the surge of new registrants.
He said earlier complications were due to some filling out the forms wrong—such as putting a phone number in the field for email.
The county has put in error-checking and data-cleansing routines that were previously automated, according to Huckelberry’s memo.
The county asks those in the 75+ age group to receive their vaccinations at Banner North, Kino Stadium or Tucson Medical Center. Teachers should go through the University of Arizona and protective service workers should register at the Tucson Convention Center.
Progress at county PODs
The county has five regional PODs, or points of distribution, with the capacity to vaccinate hundreds of residents every day. According to Huckelberry’s memo, they could administer even more shots if given an increased vaccine supply.
As of Jan. 29, Tucson Medical Center has delivered 39,868 doses since opening for healthcare workers in mid-December, according to the memo. The center has vaccinated an average of 1,000 people every day it’s been open for vaccinations.
With fewer than 3,000 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases surpassed 765,000 as of Tuesday, Feb. 2, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 504 new cases today, has seen 102,320 of the state’s 765,083 confirmed cases.
The death toll jumped by 238 today, bringing the total number of Arizonans who have died after contracting COVID-19 to 13,362. Pima County reported 55 new deaths today, bringing the local total to 1,795 deaths, according to the Feb. 1 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide has declined in recent weeks after peaking at 5,082 on Jan. 11 and yesterday dropped below the summer peak of 3,517, which was set on July 13, 2020. A total of 3,513 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state as of Feb. 1. The lowest number of hospitalized COVID patients was 468, set on Sept. 27, 2020.
A total of 1,486 people visited emergency rooms on Feb. 1 with COVID symptoms, down from the record high of 2,341 set on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. That number had peaked during the summer wave at 2,008 on July 7, 2020; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28, 2020.
A total of 944 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Feb. 1, down from a peak of 1,183 set on Jan. 11. The summer’s record number of patients in ICU beds was 970, set on July 13, 2020. The subsequent low was 114 on Sept. 22, 2020.
How to get a vaccine shot
Those who currently qualify in Pima County’s 1B priority group of eligible vaccine recipients can register for a vaccine at www.pima.gov/covid19vaccineregistration or by calling 520-222-0119.
Cases on decline but AZ remains nation’s hottest spot
COVID-19 cases have decreased in Arizona for the second week in a row, but the state remains the nation’s highest for transmission of the virus.
CDC data shows Arizona’s average transmission rate is at 75 daily cases per 100,000 population. The state has held the first or second spot through most of January.
The week ending Jan. 24 showed an 18% decrease in coronavirus cases from the previous week prior, according to the latest report by Dr. Joe Gerald, a University of Arizona professor who creates weekly coronavirus epidemiology reports based on Arizona Department of Health Services data.
“This week saw another meaningful decline in COVID-19 cases which now clearly represents a sustained, real decrease in viral transmission,” Gerald wrote in this week’s report. “This decline is accompanied by reductions in hospital and ICU occupancy. Reductions in mortality should quickly follow. While this reprieve is welcomed, the absolute level of [coronavirus] transmission remains exceptionally high.”
The week ending Jan. 10 remains the state’s deadliest with 889 COVID-19 deaths recorded so far. Gerald predicts deaths will remain “exceptionally high” for the next four to six weeks.
Monday, February 1, 2021
The University of Arizona has delivered 5,810 COVID-19 vaccines after opening as one of Pima County’s five points of distribution, according to the university's President Dr. Robert C. Robbins.
The POD is targeted toward educators and childcare providers, and Robbins estimates it can deliver 800 shots per day this week while it’s open Monday through Saturday.
The university has two vaccination sites: a drive-through location at the University of Arizona Mall and a walk-through clinic at the Ina E. Gittings building.
As cases could transmit even faster with the arrival of more contagious coronavirus variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil in the U.S., Robbins said becoming vaccinated is even more crucial.
The UK variant has been identified in Arizona after at least three test samples came back positive for it, the Arizona Department of Health Services announced Friday.
“We're seeing problematic variants circulate, and the longer the pandemic continues, the more we will have new variants with clinically significant mutations,” he said. “The vaccine will help us reach herd immunity more quickly and have less illness and certainly less mortality in our population.”
While serving as a vaccination POD, the university will continue in stage one of its reentry plan with in-person instruction for essential courses only at least through the week of Feb. 8, Robbins said. Stage two of the reentry plan involves up to 50 students attending classes in person.
The return to more in-person instruction is based on data tracking the spread of COVID-19 across the state.
While COVID-19 cases in Arizona have decreased for the second week in a row, Robbins emphasized the state still remains number one for transmissibility in the nation.
While the seven-day rolling average for COVID-19 cases is at 45 per 100,000 of the population nationwide, Arizona is experiencing 75 cases per 100,000 people, while Pima County is at 66 cases per 100,000, Robbins shared.
Tucson City Councilman Paul Durham, who was first elected in 2017, is resigning from the job.
Durham's last day in office will be March 1.
Durham had previously taken a leave of absence from the council job in September to focus on caring for his husband, Philippe, who has been suffering from cancer, but he had returned to the job.
Mayor Regina Romero thanked Durham for his service on the council.
"Paul has been a dedicated advocate for the residents of Ward 3 and has truly exemplified what it means to be a public servant," Romero said in a prepared statement. "I am grateful for his leadership on issues ranging from climate action to affordable housing and will miss his voice on the council. I know this must have been an incredibly difficult decision to make, and I ask our community to join me in thanking him for his service to Tucsonans and respecting his privacy at this time."
The City Council will appoint someone to fill Durham's seat through the remainder of the year.
A primary election for the Ward 3 seat was already set for August 2021, with the general election to follow in November.
Friday, January 29, 2021
A judge has rejected Pima County's efforts to reinstate its mandatory curfew that was temporarily halted after it was challenged by local bars.
A group of Tucson bars sued the county for the harm they faced from the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and was granted a preliminary injunction on Jan. 19 preventing the county from enforcing it.
Owners of Cobra Arcade Bar, HighWire Lounge and The Maverick filed a joint lawsuit on Jan. 5 contending the county overextended their legal authority to mandate a curfew.
The owner of The Maverick, Grant Krueger, included other Tucson restaurants he owns in the lawsuit: Union Public House, Reforma Modern Mexican and Proof Artisanal Pizza & Pasta.
On Jan. 22, the county responded with a motion that would allow them to continue the curfew, but Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson denied it on Wednesday.“Defendant argues Plaintiffs’ harms are lessened by the ability to sell food and beverage for offsite consumption even if the curfew is enforced, and their decision not to do so when the curfew was in effect was voluntary. The County also argues its ability to respond to the emergency created by the pandemic is substantially limited if the stay is not granted,” Johnson wrote in the ruling. “The Court considered these arguments in its ruling on the preliminary injunction, and found Plaintiffs demonstrated irreparable harm, and that the balance of hardship tipped in Plaintiffs’ favor.”
The court ordered the preliminary injunction on the grounds the curfew is not “statutorily authorized,” the plaintiffs demonstrated the harm it causes them and it violates Gov. Doug Ducey’s executive order.
The governor’s May 12 executive order states: “...no county, city or town may make or issue any order, rule or regulation that conflicts with or is in addition to the policy, directives or intent of this Executive Order, including but not limited to any order restricting persons from leaving their home due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.”
The curfew was originally set to end when the county reached a rate of 100 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. Its current rate is 9,598 cases per 100,000, according to Arizona Department of Health Services data.
The curfew will be halted until a resolution of the case. A trial date has yet to be set.
In a matter of days, Pima County is on track to pass the paradoxical intersection of administering 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines after surpassing 100,000 coronavirus cases today.
On Thursday, the county administered 94,370 doses and reported 100,272 coronavirus cases Friday, according to Arizona Department of Health Services data.
“Our vaccination plan was really designed to increase early impact through accelerated immunization,” said Dr. Theresa Cullen, the county’s public health director. “The good news is I think we are starting to see that acceleration, and hopefully, we will soon start to see the impact of that on our community in terms of morbidity and mortality.”
Those 75 and older are eligible for vaccinations, as are educators, childcare providers and protective service workers—a group Cullen estimates to be around 150,000.
According to the public health director, the county is administering about 35,000 doses a week, which puts them on track for 140,000 vaccines by the second week of February.
With the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines needing second doses for full immunization, Cullen said the 1B priority group in Pima County’s vaccine rollout might not be done so soon.
“One would think in four weeks we'd be done, right? Because not everybody's going to get the vaccine. Remember, people are getting two vaccines. So once we throw that second vaccine in there, the numbers become a little extended in terms of how long it takes,” she said.
The next eligible group will be the 65 and older population, which Cullen estimates is a group of more than 200,000. Although the current priority group still needs to receive second doses, the 65 and over crowd could be eligible sooner than expected.
“The question everybody wants is when are we going to flip the switch? I would reassure you that we're in the process of doing some calculations, and some of it is related to that second shot,” Cullen said. “But it'll definitely be sometime in February, maybe the end of February. We thought maybe the middle of March—I think it will be earlier if our vaccine distribution holds.”
With 5,028 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases surpassed closed in on 750,000 as of Friday, Jan. 29, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 698 new cases today, clearing the six-figure threshold, having seen 100,272 of the state’s 748,260 confirmed cases.
A total of 13,022 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 1,736 deaths in Pima County, according to the Jan. 29 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide has declined in recent weeks after peaking at 5,082 on Jan. 11 but remains above the peak levels of the summer’s first wave. ADHS reported that as of Jan. 28, 3,970 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state. The summer peak of 3,517 hospitalized COVID patients was set on July 13; that number hit a subsequent low of 468 on Sept. 27.
A total of 1,723 people visited emergency rooms on Jan. 28 with COVID symptoms, down from the record high of 2,341 set on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. That number had peaked during the summer wave at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A total of 1,002 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Jan. 28, down from a peak of 1,183 set on Jan. 11. The summer’s record number of patients in ICU beds was 970, set on July 13. The subsequent low was 114 on Sept. 22.
Despite last week's announcement that COVID-19 cases had decreased and that some elective surgeries would resume, Arizona’s largest hospital system is still caring for more patients than it did during the summer surge.
“Patient care in our hospitals has not yet returned to a state that I would define as usual and customary, and I would caution you against celebrating too early as we slowly work our way out of this difficult surge,” said Banner Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel said at a Wednesday press conference.
Banner is using thousands of out-of-state healthcare workers while upskilling others to help in its ICUs, Bessel said.
The hospital’s forecasting predicts it will take two to three more months for Arizona to fully recover from the winter surge in cases with many more weeks of high numbers of hospitalizations.
Bessel said Banner hospitals frequently monitor the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation tool to grasp likely consequences of COVID-19 in the future.
Estimates predict Arizona will reach 18,500 deaths by May if it continues its current mitigation policies against the virus. If the state eases current mitigations, the death total could reach 22,200 by May, Bessel shared.
