Tuesday, January 5, 2021
With more than 5,900 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 567,000 as of Tuesday, Jan 5, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 621 new cases today, has seen 75,584 of the state’s 567,474 confirmed cases.
A total of 9,317 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 1,137 deaths in Pima County, according to the Jan. 5 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide continues to soar as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly, putting stress on Arizona’s hospitals and surpassing July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Jan. 4, a record 4,789 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 1,984 people visited emergency rooms on Jan 4 with COVID symptoms, down from the record high of 2,341 set on Tuesday, Dec. 29. That number had previously peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A record number of 1,096 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Jan. 4. The summer’s record number of patients in ICU beds was 970, set on July 13. The subsequent low was 114 on Sept. 22.
A website that tracks COVID infections across the globe reports that Arizona now has highest rate of COVID infection in the world.
As reported yesterday by ABC-15’s Garrett Archer, the website 91-divoc.com, which uses data from Johns Hopkins University, reports that Arizona is seeing 121.8 infections per 100,000 people on a seven-day average, compared to 64.5 infections per 100,000 for the United States as a whole.
The Pima County Health Department reported that in the first four days of 2021, Pima County hospitals reported 70 COVID deaths. Other Pima County Health Department stats from Jan. 4:
WASHINGTON – Post-9/11 veterans are not only more likely to be employed than the general population, they are also more likely to be in jobs that are immune to recession, according to a recent report by the Census Bureau.
The Census study, released in November, said the unemployment rate for the nation’s 3 million post-9/11 veterans was just 4.8% between 2014 and 2018, compared to 5.0% for nonveterans during the same period. The veterans were also more likely to be working full-time, year-round jobs, putting in more hours and earning more.
The most popular job for post-9/11 veterans was in protective services, such as police and fire departments, where vets were three times as likely as nonveterans to be working. A Phoenix Police Department spokeswoman said, for example, that 20% of the department’s sworn officers have military experience.
Other common jobs for the post-9/11 veterans were in installation, maintenance and repair fields, transportation, and computer and mathematical fields, the report said.
“It doesn’t surprise me to hear that veterans are leveraging the things that they learned in the military, adding education to that, and doing very well in the job world,” said Christian Rauschenbach, assistant director of veteran services and operations for the Pat Tillman Veterans Center at Arizona State University.
Monday, January 4, 2021
In Pima County, the entire month of December saw nearly 40% of the total number of COVID-19 cases reported since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a memorandum from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.
Furthermore, a new public health advisory issued by the county’s health department revealed one out of every 1,000 Pima County residents has died from COVID-19.
With large gatherings over the holidays, experts expect case counts and coronavirus deaths to increase with “no plateau yet in the immediate horizon,” the administrator’s memo says.
As of Dec. 30, Pima County had only 5 ICU beds available. Bed usage hit a record of 370 ICU beds occupied, with 53% of them holding COVID-19 patients. There were 42 medical surge beds available, according to the county administrator’s memo.
Meanwhile, 87 patients waited in emergency departments to receive care in inpatient beds—more than 60% of them with COVID-19.
Setting a new record for the county, 145 ventilators were in use by coronavirus patients out of 250 in use overall.
In a Facebook post on Dec. 31, the Pima County Health Department reported that for the entire month of December, there was an average of 11 COVID-19 deaths per day.
With more than 5,100 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 561,000 as of Monday, Jan 4, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 855 new cases today, has seen 74,963 of the state’s 561,542 confirmed cases.
A total of 9,064 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 1,084 deaths in Pima County, according to the Jan. 4 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide continues to soar as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly, putting stress on Arizona’s hospitals and surpassing July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Jan. 3, a record 4,647 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 2,001 people visited emergency rooms on Jan 3 with COVID symptoms, down from the record high of 2,341 set last Tuesday, Dec. 29. That number had previously peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A record number of 1,082 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Jan. 3. The summer’s record number of patients in ICU beds was 970, set on July 13. The subsequent low was 114 on Sept. 22.
The Pima County Health Department reported that in the month of December:
• There was an average of 11 COVID-19 deaths per day.
• There was an average of 130 COVID-19 positive patients admitted per day.
• ICU bed availability averaged 3%. Medical/surgical bed availability averaged 4%
• There was an average of 545 COVID-19 positive inpatients at county hospitals each day.
• An average 154 ICU beds were used by COVID-19 patients each day.
• There was an average of 104 ventilators in use for COVID-19 patients per day.
The health department continues to ask residents to stay home and minimize activities that involve contact with people outside of their households, stay physically distanced and practice mask-wearing and frequent sanitization.
“This isn’t just about COVID anymore and whether you think it’s a real problem or not. The patients filling these hospitals are absolutely real and if you have a heart attack, or if you get into a car accident, or your appendix bursts, there is a real possibility that you may not get the timely care you need to save your life if we don’t get control of this virus,” said Dr. Theresa Cullen, director of the Pima County Health Department. “People are dying yet many of those deaths are preventable if the people of this community stay home, wear their masks and avoid people they don’t live with as much as possible.”
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
With more than 2,700 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 507,000 as of Tuesday, Dec. 29, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 1,313 new cases today, has seen 67,679 of the state’s 507,222 confirmed cases.
A total of 8,640 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 1,023 deaths in Pima County, according to the Dec. 29 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide continues to soar as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly, putting stress on Arizona’s hospitals and surpassing July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Dec. 28, a record 4,475 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 2,117 people visited emergency rooms on Dec. 28 with COVID symptoms. That number, which hit a new record of 2,166 earlier this month, had previously peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A total of 1,053 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Dec. 28, breaking the 1,000 threshold for the first time. The summer’s record number of patients was 970, set on July 13. The subsequent low was 114 on Sept. 22.
Healthcare system continues to buckle under strain
The Pima County Health Department shared a number of sobering statistics about COVID-19 yesterday:
• There is an all-time high of 1,512 medical/surgical beds in use in Pima County.
• Med/Surg bed availability hit an all-time low with 2%, or just 33 beds available in the county.
• On Monday morning there were 96 patients waiting for an inpatient bed, 62 of whom were COVID-19 patients.
• There are 669 hospital patients who are COVID positive.
• ICU beds usage hit an all-time high with 364 ICU beds in use, 198 are COVID-19 patients, the most ever. Despite an increase of 20 ICU beds in the past week, only 2% (9 beds) remain available. Hospitals continue to implement their surge plans to add ICU capacity.
• COVID-19 patients account for 54% of ICU bed and ventilator usage.
• There was a record high of 27 COVID-19 ICU admissions in a single day in the past 24 hours.
• On Christmas Day, County hospitals reported 19 COVID-19 deaths.
Last week, the Pima County Health Department warned that the healthcare system is in danger of becoming overwhelmed within the next two to three weeks if the spread of COVID-19 continues at its current pace.
Monday, December 28, 2020
With more than 10,000 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped a half-million as of Monday, Dec. 28, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 1,313 new cases today, has seen 67,360 of the state’s 504,423 confirmed cases.
A total of 8,469 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 983 deaths in Pima County, according to the Dec. 28 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide continues to soar as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly, putting stress on Arizona’s hospitals and surpassing July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Dec. 27, a record 4,390 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 1,877 people visited emergency rooms on Dec. 27 with COVID symptoms. That number, which hit a new record of 2,166 earlier this month, had previously peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A total of 1,007 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Dec. 27, breaking the 1,000 threshold for the first time. The summer’s record number of patients was 970, set on July 13. The subsequent low was 114 on Sept. 22.
Healthcare leaders continue to plead with public to stay home as much as possible as healthcare system is overloaded
Arizona’s largest hospital system continues to experience record occupancy levels and overflowing morgues, resulting in bodies being stored in refrigerated trucks.
Banner Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel shared in a press conference last week that 58% of the hospitals’ adult ICU beds and 74% of its ventilators are being used by COVID-19 patients.
Compared to a pandemic-free winter season, Banner hospitals are seeing 160% of their peak winter occupancy.
As more patients die from COVID-19, Bessel said Banner hospitals are seeing two to three times more bodies than they typically store in their morgues, causing some hospitals to place bodies in refrigerated trucks.
According to Bessel, nearly half of their deceased patients died from coronavirus.
Bessel said Banner expects the peak of the current COVID-19 surge to hit in early to mid-January.
“The biggest concerns as we go into that significant surge and experience that post-holidays in January will be continued strain on our health care system,” Bessel said. “We've had to take steps to reduce or stop elective surgeries and procedures. These are patients that need these procedures. In addition to that, as we have significant more surge forecasted to happen in January, it will cause additional strain on our staffing.”
Thursday, December 24, 2020
With more than 7,000 new cases reported today, the number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases now stands higher than 480,000 as of Thursday, Dec. 24, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 1,313 new cases today, has seen 63,472 of the state’s 480,319 confirmed cases.
A total of 8,294 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 962 deaths in Pima County, according to the Dec. 24 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide continues to soar as the virus has begun to spread more rapidly, putting stress on Arizona’s hospitals and surpassing July peaks. ADHS reported that as of Dec. 23, a record 4,221 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 1,965 people visited emergency rooms on Dec. 23 with COVID symptoms. That number, which hit a new record of 2,166 earlier this month, had previously peaked at 2,008 on July 7; it hit a subsequent low of 653 on Sept. 28.
A total of 965 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on Dec. 23. That’s a slight dip from the 972 COVID patients who were in ICU yesterday, breaking the previous high of 970 on July 13. The subsequent low was 114 on Sept. 22.
Healthcare leaders continue to plead with public to stay home as much as possible as healthcare system is overloaded
Arizona’s largest hospital system continues to experience record occupancy levels and overflowing morgues, resulting in bodies being stored in refrigerated trucks.
Banner Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel shared in a press conference yesterday that 58% of the hospitals’ adult ICU beds and 74% of its ventilators are being used by COVID-19 patients.
Compared to a pandemic-free winter season, Banner hospitals are seeing 160% of their peak winter occupancy.
As more patients die from COVID-19, Bessel said Banner hospitals are seeing two to three times more bodies than they typically store in their morgues, causing some hospitals to place bodies in refrigerated trucks.
According to Bessel, nearly half of their deceased patients died from coronavirus.
Bessel said Banner expects the peak of the current COVID-19 surge to hit in early to mid-January.
“The biggest concerns as we go into that significant surge and experience that post-holidays in January will be continued strain on our health care system,” Bessel said. “We've had to take steps to reduce or stop elective surgeries and procedures. These are patients that need these procedures. In addition to that, as we have significant more surge forecasted to happen in January, it will cause additional strain on our staffing.”
Bessel’s warnings come the same week that the Pima County Health Department warned that the healthcare system is in danger of becoming overwhelmed within the next two to three weeks if the spread of COVID-19 continues at its current pace.
According to County Health Director Dr. Theresa Cullen, the county is on track to see more coronavirus infections in December than all previous months of the pandemic combined.
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Arizona’s largest hospital system continues to experience record occupancy levels and overflowing morgues, resulting in bodies being stored in refrigerated trucks.
Banner Health’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel shared in a press conference this morning that 58% of the hospitals’ adult ICU beds and 74% of its ventilators are being used by COVID-19 patients.
Compared to a pandemic-free winter season, Banner hospitals are seeing 160% of their peak winter occupancy.
As more patients die from COVID-19, Bessel said Banner hospitals are seeing two to three times more bodies than they typically store in their morgues, causing some hospitals to place bodies in refrigerated trucks.
According to Bessel, nearly half of their deceased patients died from coronavirus.
Dr. Joe Gerald, a professor at the University of Arizona who creates weekly coronavirus epidemiology reports based on ADHS data, estimates by Christmas, Arizona will see more than 500 deaths a week.
Monday, December 21, 2020
In a new public health advisory, the Pima County Health Department warns the healthcare system is in danger of becoming overwhelmed within the next two to three weeks if the spread of COVID-19 continues at its current pace.
According to County Health Director Dr. Theresa Cullen, the county is on track to see more coronavirus infections in December than all previous months of the pandemic combined.
The advisory asks for continued adherence to the county’s mandatory mask mandate and 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.
It also asks to limit all gatherings to less than 10 people and that all businesses reduce their occupancy to 25%.
According to the new advisory, the last week has seen multiple instances of zero ICU bed availability and several days where hospital medical-surgical beds have reached capacity.
Tucson Medical Center has canceled its elective surgeries, while emergency departments and hospitals face staff and critical supply shortages.
The health department is asking residents to stay home and minimize activities that involve contact with people outside of their households, stay physically distanced and practice mask-wearing and frequent sanitization.
“This isn’t just about COVID anymore and whether you think it’s a real problem or not. The patients filling these hospitals are absolutely real and if you have a heart attack, or if you get into a car accident, or your appendix bursts, there is a real possibility that you may not get the timely care you need to save your life if we don’t get control of this virus,” Cullen said. “People are dying yet many of those deaths are preventable if the people of this community stay home, wear their masks and avoid people they don’t live with as much as possible.”
The full advisory is below.
PHOENIX – From “Rookie of the Year” to “Little Giants,” sports movies captivated kids growing up in the 1990s.
One of those was a young girl from Chandler, who fell in love with an unlikely sport.
Hockey.
For a native of the Valley, hockey seemed as out of place as a cactus in Buffalo. As someone who found her love from the Mighty Ducks film franchise, the fast-paced, bone-chilling drama of Coach Gordon Bombay and his group of misfits overcoming the odds resonated with young Lyndsey Fry.
These days, the Olympic silver medalist in women’s hockey is a key figure in the Arizona Coyotes’ movement to increase youth hockey participation in the state, especially among non-traditional markets. With various youth development programs and outreach efforts, the Coyotes are making an impact.
“The youth hockey market and the growth (in Arizona) is phenomenal,” said Coyotes President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez, who took the job six months ago and became the first Latino to hold those positions in NHL history. “Every youth hockey fan that you can identify and convert leads to 3.3 more fans.”
The presence of the team has made an impact. Arizona ranks second among all U.S. NHL markets in total growth percentage over the past five years, according to a 2019 study by USA Hockey. In addition, Arizona ranked first in total percentage growth for female hockey players and first for total 8-and-under hockey participation percentage over the past five years.
Fry leads the Coyotes’ female development program, the Arizona Kachinas, which looks to promote female youth participation within the Valley in a welcoming environment, while growing the outreach efforts of the Coyotes statewide. The NHL club is also reaching out to youth in the Hispanic community, part of an overall initiative to connect with that market in Arizona.
