Tuesday, July 14, 2020
PHOENIX – From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts have pointed to smoking as one of several risk factors that could worsen the disease and potentially lead to death.
Now an analysis of available research shows just how dangerous tobacco use might be during COVID-19 – nearly doubling the risk of disease progression in smokers and former smokers.
The research, coupled with fresh warnings from global health experts about correlations between smoking and the novel coronavirus that causes the disease, runs counter to a much-publicized French study that claims smoking might somehow protect individuals against infection.
“Smoking significantly worsens COVID-19,” said Stanton Glantz, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And though smoking has declined in past years, in 2018 nearly 14 of every 100 U.S. adults – about 34 million people – smoked cigarettes.
Now an analysis of available research shows just how dangerous tobacco use might be during COVID-19 – nearly doubling the risk of disease progression in smokers and former smokers.
The research, coupled with fresh warnings from global health experts about correlations between smoking and the novel coronavirus that causes the disease, runs counter to a much-publicized French study that claims smoking might somehow protect individuals against infection.
“Smoking significantly worsens COVID-19,” said Stanton Glantz, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And though smoking has declined in past years, in 2018 nearly 14 of every 100 U.S. adults – about 34 million people – smoked cigarettes.
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The Paycheck Protection Program was launched to rescue the little guy, the millions of small businesses without the deep pockets needed to survive the COVID-19 shock.
But among the restaurants, dentists and mom-and-pops was Vibra Healthcare, a chain of hospitals and therapy centers spread across 19 states with over 9,000 employees. The biggest PPP loan was supposed to be $10 million, but Vibra found a way to land as much as $97 million.
In other contexts, Vibra boasts annual revenues of $1 billion, but when the company got in line to receive what is essentially free government money (the loans are forgivable), it made itself seem small. From Vibra’s corporate address in Pennsylvania, 26 limited liability companies received PPP loans, 23 of them from the same bank, with almost all the loan approvals coming on the same day in April.
ProPublica found several other large businesses employing the same apparent strategy of counting each of their LLCs or other entities as a separate business. In Las Vegas, a casino operator backed by hedge funds got 20 loans. Two nursing home chains received tens of millions of dollars: One chain in Illinois got loans for 51 different entities, while another based in Georgia got 19. Together, ProPublica was able to identify up to $516 million that flowed to just 15 organizations.
The Paycheck Protection Program was launched to rescue the little guy, the millions of small businesses without the deep pockets needed to survive the COVID-19 shock.
But among the restaurants, dentists and mom-and-pops was Vibra Healthcare, a chain of hospitals and therapy centers spread across 19 states with over 9,000 employees. The biggest PPP loan was supposed to be $10 million, but Vibra found a way to land as much as $97 million.
In other contexts, Vibra boasts annual revenues of $1 billion, but when the company got in line to receive what is essentially free government money (the loans are forgivable), it made itself seem small. From Vibra’s corporate address in Pennsylvania, 26 limited liability companies received PPP loans, 23 of them from the same bank, with almost all the loan approvals coming on the same day in April.
ProPublica found several other large businesses employing the same apparent strategy of counting each of their LLCs or other entities as a separate business. In Las Vegas, a casino operator backed by hedge funds got 20 loans. Two nursing home chains received tens of millions of dollars: One chain in Illinois got loans for 51 different entities, while another based in Georgia got 19. Together, ProPublica was able to identify up to $516 million that flowed to just 15 organizations.
The Eloy Detention Center in Arizona is run by CoreCivic, a private contractor. Private companies that operate detention centers like Eloy for ICE defended their response to COVID-19 in testimony to a House committee Monday. (Photo by Charlene Santiago/Cronkite News)
CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger was one of four private contractors who testified before a House Homeland Security subcommittee Monday on their operation of detention facilities for Immigration and Customs Enforcement – contracts that are worth billions, committee Democrats noted.
Throughout the roughly three-hour virtual hearing, the contractors insisted that conditions in the detention centers are “safe” for both detainees and employees and that they are following health and safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Since the pandemic began we have worked quickly to execute the guidance of the CDC and our partners,” Hininger testified. “I believe the practices and the measures CoreCivic has implemented in our facilities have prevented further transmission of COVID-19.”
But most committee members appeared skeptical.
“It is clear that ICE and its contractors have not taken this outbreak seriously and have not treated it aggressively enough,” said Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-New York, the chairwoman of the subcommittee.
UPDATE: The Trump Administration has since rescinded the order.
On Monday, July 13, a coalition of 20 universities from multiple states – including the University of Arizona – filed a lawsuit challenging a recent order from the federal government that requires international students to attend in-person classes during the current pandemic, or face deportation.
The Immigrations and Customs Enforcement order, which was issued on July 6, states that the U.S. Department of State will not issue visas to "students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States. Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status. If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings."
The lawsuit, issued in a federal court in Eugene, Oregon, states that that ICE's order was made without warning and without any input from the schools or students directly affected by it and that the federal government's rationale for the order was to coerce schools to reopen.
The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona climbed past 128K as of Tuesday, July 14, after the state reported 4,273 new cases this morning, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 12,114 of the state's 128,097 confirmed cases.
A total of 2,337 people have died after contracting the virus.
Maricopa County has 84,233 of the state's cases.
Hospitals remain under pressure. The report shows that 3,517 COVID patients were hospitalized yesterday in the state.
A total of 1,553 people visited ERs yesterday.
A total of 970 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds yesterday.
In response to the rising cases, Gov. Doug Ducey said last week that restaurants would be limited to 50 percent capacity, though he took no other steps to reduce the spread of the virus other than announcing that the state would be stepping up its testing program in the weeks to come.
Ducey said the state was reaching a plateau since local officials had begun requiring masks in some communities but stopped short of mandating the wearing of masks himself. Ducey said it would be better if Arizonans decided to do that without his mandate.
Democrats in the Arizona Senate released a joint statement saying they were "profoundly disappointed" in Ducey's failure to take further action.
"The newest actions to curb COVID-19 in Arizona are reactionary, piecemeal half measures that are inadequate to substantially slow the spread of the virus." the lawmakers wrote. "We have urged, and continue to urge, the governor to take swift and preemptive actions to curtail the virus’s spread, especially in light of Arizona being reported as the worst in the world for the COVID-19 pandemic. If we truly care about the health and economy of the state, then we need another statewide stay at home order. Only limiting indoor dining to less than 50 percent is woefully inadequate to significantly curb the spread of COVID-19 in Arizona. This fragmented approach has clear economic consequences–consequences that could have been avoided had we taken the pandemic seriously earlier. Taking more aggressive action now will allow us to safely open schools in the future."
Ducey's handling of the virus has caused a steep drop in his job approval numbers, according to a poll released yesterday by OH Predictive Insights. Pollster Mike Noble noted that in his latest survey of 600 likely 2020 voters, conducted July 6-7, showed that voters had sharply turned on Ducey's handling of the coronavirus, with his approval dropping to 35 percent with 63 percent disapproval. In a similar June poll, 59 percent of Arizonans approved of Ducey's handling of the coronavirus and only 37 disapproved.
“As goes the coronavirus so goes Doug Ducey’s fortunes among Arizona voters,” said OHPI Chief of Research Mike Noble in a prepared statement. “When the outbreak was being contained, Ducey was popular. Now that cases are on the rise, his disapproval rating is too.”
Pima County had seen 12,114 of the state's 128,097 confirmed cases.
A total of 2,337 people have died after contracting the virus.
Maricopa County has 84,233 of the state's cases.
Hospitals remain under pressure. The report shows that 3,517 COVID patients were hospitalized yesterday in the state.
A total of 1,553 people visited ERs yesterday.
A total of 970 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds yesterday.
In response to the rising cases, Gov. Doug Ducey said last week that restaurants would be limited to 50 percent capacity, though he took no other steps to reduce the spread of the virus other than announcing that the state would be stepping up its testing program in the weeks to come.
Ducey said the state was reaching a plateau since local officials had begun requiring masks in some communities but stopped short of mandating the wearing of masks himself. Ducey said it would be better if Arizonans decided to do that without his mandate.
Democrats in the Arizona Senate released a joint statement saying they were "profoundly disappointed" in Ducey's failure to take further action.
"The newest actions to curb COVID-19 in Arizona are reactionary, piecemeal half measures that are inadequate to substantially slow the spread of the virus." the lawmakers wrote. "We have urged, and continue to urge, the governor to take swift and preemptive actions to curtail the virus’s spread, especially in light of Arizona being reported as the worst in the world for the COVID-19 pandemic. If we truly care about the health and economy of the state, then we need another statewide stay at home order. Only limiting indoor dining to less than 50 percent is woefully inadequate to significantly curb the spread of COVID-19 in Arizona. This fragmented approach has clear economic consequences–consequences that could have been avoided had we taken the pandemic seriously earlier. Taking more aggressive action now will allow us to safely open schools in the future."
Ducey's handling of the virus has caused a steep drop in his job approval numbers, according to a poll released yesterday by OH Predictive Insights. Pollster Mike Noble noted that in his latest survey of 600 likely 2020 voters, conducted July 6-7, showed that voters had sharply turned on Ducey's handling of the coronavirus, with his approval dropping to 35 percent with 63 percent disapproval. In a similar June poll, 59 percent of Arizonans approved of Ducey's handling of the coronavirus and only 37 disapproved.
“As goes the coronavirus so goes Doug Ducey’s fortunes among Arizona voters,” said OHPI Chief of Research Mike Noble in a prepared statement. “When the outbreak was being contained, Ducey was popular. Now that cases are on the rise, his disapproval rating is too.”
Democrat Mark Kelly, who is challenging Republican Sen. Martha McSally, reported raising nearly $12.8 million dollars between April and June this year, according to a press release from Team Kelly.
Kelly ended the quarter with $24 million on hand.
“We continue to be humbled by the hundreds of thousands of people chipping in whatever they can, because they want to see Mark Kelly’s experience and independent approach representing Arizonans—defending health care protections for those with pre-existing conditions and fighting for our state in the U.S. Senate,” said Team Kelly campaign manager Jen Cox.
Team McSally has not yet reported numbers for second-quarter fundraising. Campaign fundraising reports are due tomorrow.
At the end of the first quarter in March, Kelly had raised a total of $31 million to McSally's $18.6 million. Kelly then had $19.7 million remaining in the bank, compared to McSally's $10.2 million, according to Open Secrets.
Kelly has consistently led McSally in polls in the race.
More to come.news
Kelly ended the quarter with $24 million on hand.
“We continue to be humbled by the hundreds of thousands of people chipping in whatever they can, because they want to see Mark Kelly’s experience and independent approach representing Arizonans—defending health care protections for those with pre-existing conditions and fighting for our state in the U.S. Senate,” said Team Kelly campaign manager Jen Cox.
Team McSally has not yet reported numbers for second-quarter fundraising. Campaign fundraising reports are due tomorrow.
At the end of the first quarter in March, Kelly had raised a total of $31 million to McSally's $18.6 million. Kelly then had $19.7 million remaining in the bank, compared to McSally's $10.2 million, according to Open Secrets.
Kelly has consistently led McSally in polls in the race.
More to come.news
Monday, July 13, 2020
Just ICYMI, here are the stories we covered today:
- The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona climbed past 123,000 as of Monday, July 13, after the state reported 1,357 new cases this morning, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
- On the morning of Monday, July 13, the Southwest Area Incident Management Team formally transferred command over the Bighorn Fire back to the Coronado National Forest. This came after fire crews announced the fire was 92 percent contained after burning through roughly 119,000 acres.
- Following the lead of the Big Ten and others, the Pac-12 Conference announced its football teams will play only conference games in 2020.
- “I am not going to lose another company,” Cardiff told his lawyer in an April 5 email, just before detailing a fantasy list of people he wanted to place on the board of his new venture, VPL Medical Inc.
- So, how does one write about Palm Springs in a spoiler free way? For starters, you probably don’t ask that question, because now I’ve revealed the movie has the sort of twists and turns that would make it very easy to spoil in a review.
PHOENIX – Following the lead of the Big Ten and others, the Pac-12 Conference announced its football teams will play only conference games in 2020.
“Arizona State University and Sun Devil Athletics support the Pac-12’s announcement of a strictly conference schedule for the 2020 football and fall sports season,” said Ray Anderson, ASU’s vice president for university athletics.
The news came after executive members of the Pac-12 met Friday to discuss their options. The sports affected also include men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. The conference also said it is delaying the start of mandatory athletic activities until health and safety indicators, “which have recently trended in a negative direction, provided sufficient positive data to enable a move to a second phase of return-to-play activities.”
“The health and safety of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports continues to be our number one priority,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said.
The Pac-12 is not alone in its thought to rethink the season. ACC commissioner John Swofford announced the conference would make a decision at the end of July, while Sports Illustrated reports that the SEC is gathering all 14 of its athletic directors on Monday for an in-person meeting to discuss the season.
The news is a result of the coronavirus pandemic as cases increase in many states.
Sixty-nine FBS schools nationwide have released or reported data on coronavirus testing of its athletes, the Buffalo News reported. Arizona State is not one of them. An athletic department spokesman said the reason is a university-wide policy to not disclose information.
Five other conference schools said they will not report data: Oregon, Utah, Stanford, UCLA and Washington State.
“As you know, we work in close coordination with ADHS and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and will continue deferring to those public health agencies regarding disclosure of positive test results and related information,” the university said in a statement “Public health officials will advise ASU if additional disclosure measures are necessary. University leaders, in consultation with public health officials, will determine the right protocols for intramural sports and fitness programs.”
On June 29th, Arizona decided to halt its athletes’ return to campus. At that time, there had been just one positive test among the 83 athletes that returned for voluntary workouts, the school said in a statement.
If the Pac-12 does decide to cut non-conference games, Arizona State would lose games against Northern Arizona, UNLV and Brigham Young. Arizona would lose games against Hawaii, Portland State and Texas Tech.
Other notable Pac-12 non-conference games that have already been canceled due to the Big Ten’s announcement are Michigan visiting Washington in Week 1 and Ohio State visiting Oregon in Week 2. If the Pac-12 follows suit, the yearly matchup between USC and Notre Dame would also not be played.
Across the country, there has been a wave of universities deciding to cut numerous sports programs in order to save money due to the coronavirus pandemic. That wave hit Stanford on Wednesday as it decided to drop 11 programs including wrestling and men’s volleyball. The move will save the school $70 million, reports The New York Times.
On Thursday, Anderson said he would do his best to ensure that wave would not reach ASU.
“We recognize many of our Pac-12 colleagues and other institutions across the country have made difficult decisions to cut sports and support staff in recent weeks,” he said. “We remain steadfast in our intent and commitment to avoid such drastic measures through every means possible. We are entering a critical period of time which will inform us of many pieces to the larger puzzle of our fall seasons. Until we have more clarity on those timelines and the parameters in which we’ll need to adhere to, we will continue to prepare for all scenarios to ensure the safest environment possible for the entire ASU community.”
Bidwill hospitalized for coronavirus
Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill has been hospitalized for the coronavirus, the team announced Friday,
It is believed Bidwill, 55, contracted the virus after traveling on the East Coast.
“His symptoms have subsided and Bidwill is expected to be released sometime this weekend,” the team said in a statement.
List of MLB players opting out increases
The list of players opting out of the 2020 MLB season added another name as San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey has decided to not play.
The decision comes after Posey and his wife adopted prematurely-born identical twins on Thursday.
Posey joins Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price, Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Mike Leake, among others.
Newest MLB coronavirus test results
After some back and forth and numerous holdups, Major League Baseball has released the numbers it has received highlighting the first round of coronavirus testing it has done across players and employees.
The league has just 66 positive results from the 3,748 total samples tested, making a 1.8% total percent positive. For context, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported the most recent total percent positive in Arizona to be 11.7%.
Of the 66 positive cases, 58 were from players, and the remaining eight were staff members.
Reduced capacity for Cardinals games
The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority said it expects to see significantly reduced seating capacity when the NFL season begins in September.
The organization projects 17.5% attendance at football games in the fiscal year that began July 1, the Arizona Republic reported. The overall budget was reduced about 36.6% year over year.
“The authority and its stadium partners feel confident that some level of event activity will return to the stadium, slowly being phased in as new guidelines are put into place,” the organization said in its budget.
Planned upgrades to the stadium facilities are on hold for six months.
“Arizona State University and Sun Devil Athletics support the Pac-12’s announcement of a strictly conference schedule for the 2020 football and fall sports season,” said Ray Anderson, ASU’s vice president for university athletics.
The news came after executive members of the Pac-12 met Friday to discuss their options. The sports affected also include men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. The conference also said it is delaying the start of mandatory athletic activities until health and safety indicators, “which have recently trended in a negative direction, provided sufficient positive data to enable a move to a second phase of return-to-play activities.”
“The health and safety of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports continues to be our number one priority,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said.
The Pac-12 is not alone in its thought to rethink the season. ACC commissioner John Swofford announced the conference would make a decision at the end of July, while Sports Illustrated reports that the SEC is gathering all 14 of its athletic directors on Monday for an in-person meeting to discuss the season.
The news is a result of the coronavirus pandemic as cases increase in many states.
Sixty-nine FBS schools nationwide have released or reported data on coronavirus testing of its athletes, the Buffalo News reported. Arizona State is not one of them. An athletic department spokesman said the reason is a university-wide policy to not disclose information.
Five other conference schools said they will not report data: Oregon, Utah, Stanford, UCLA and Washington State.
“As you know, we work in close coordination with ADHS and the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and will continue deferring to those public health agencies regarding disclosure of positive test results and related information,” the university said in a statement “Public health officials will advise ASU if additional disclosure measures are necessary. University leaders, in consultation with public health officials, will determine the right protocols for intramural sports and fitness programs.”
On June 29th, Arizona decided to halt its athletes’ return to campus. At that time, there had been just one positive test among the 83 athletes that returned for voluntary workouts, the school said in a statement.
If the Pac-12 does decide to cut non-conference games, Arizona State would lose games against Northern Arizona, UNLV and Brigham Young. Arizona would lose games against Hawaii, Portland State and Texas Tech.
Other notable Pac-12 non-conference games that have already been canceled due to the Big Ten’s announcement are Michigan visiting Washington in Week 1 and Ohio State visiting Oregon in Week 2. If the Pac-12 follows suit, the yearly matchup between USC and Notre Dame would also not be played.
Across the country, there has been a wave of universities deciding to cut numerous sports programs in order to save money due to the coronavirus pandemic. That wave hit Stanford on Wednesday as it decided to drop 11 programs including wrestling and men’s volleyball. The move will save the school $70 million, reports The New York Times.
On Thursday, Anderson said he would do his best to ensure that wave would not reach ASU.
“We recognize many of our Pac-12 colleagues and other institutions across the country have made difficult decisions to cut sports and support staff in recent weeks,” he said. “We remain steadfast in our intent and commitment to avoid such drastic measures through every means possible. We are entering a critical period of time which will inform us of many pieces to the larger puzzle of our fall seasons. Until we have more clarity on those timelines and the parameters in which we’ll need to adhere to, we will continue to prepare for all scenarios to ensure the safest environment possible for the entire ASU community.”
Bidwill hospitalized for coronavirus
Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill has been hospitalized for the coronavirus, the team announced Friday,
It is believed Bidwill, 55, contracted the virus after traveling on the East Coast.
“His symptoms have subsided and Bidwill is expected to be released sometime this weekend,” the team said in a statement.
List of MLB players opting out increases
The list of players opting out of the 2020 MLB season added another name as San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey has decided to not play.
The decision comes after Posey and his wife adopted prematurely-born identical twins on Thursday.
Posey joins Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price, Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Mike Leake, among others.
Newest MLB coronavirus test results
After some back and forth and numerous holdups, Major League Baseball has released the numbers it has received highlighting the first round of coronavirus testing it has done across players and employees.
The league has just 66 positive results from the 3,748 total samples tested, making a 1.8% total percent positive. For context, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported the most recent total percent positive in Arizona to be 11.7%.
Of the 66 positive cases, 58 were from players, and the remaining eight were staff members.
Reduced capacity for Cardinals games
The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority said it expects to see significantly reduced seating capacity when the NFL season begins in September.
The organization projects 17.5% attendance at football games in the fiscal year that began July 1, the Arizona Republic reported. The overall budget was reduced about 36.6% year over year.
“The authority and its stadium partners feel confident that some level of event activity will return to the stadium, slowly being phased in as new guidelines are put into place,” the organization said in its budget.
Planned upgrades to the stadium facilities are on hold for six months.
On the morning of Monday, July 13, the Southwest Area Incident Management Team formally transferred command over the Bighorn Fire back to the Coronado National Forest. This came after fire crews announced the fire was 92 percent contained after burning through roughly 119,000 acres.
The fire burned across the Santa Catalina Mountains for more than a month, after being ignited by a lightning strike on June 5. High temperatures and strong gusts hampered containment procedures for multiple weeks. However, fire crews gradually got a hold of the blaze as the monsoon neared. On Saturday, July 11, the southern slopes of the fire received approximately .25 inches of rain, which helped further contain the diminishing blaze.
As of Monday, July 13, 239 fire personnel still remained on the task, down from nearly 1,000 personnel three weeks prior. Much of the work now involves repairing and maintaining fire lines as clean-up begins. According to the Southwest Area Incident Management Team, fire crews recently completed chipping operations at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter and Mount Bigelow, and felled hazard trees in Spencer Campground.
Their next objective is to identify and assess hazard trees that may require removal due to the high winds received over the fire area. Chipping, backhaul, and suppression rehabilitation will continue in the Summerhaven area, as well as other portions of the fire.
Speaking of Summerhaven, fire crews report that no structures have been lost in Summerhaven. The Catalina Highway up Mount Lemmon is slowly reopening, with only business owners and residents of the mountain communities allowed to return as Monday, July 13.
The fire continues to smolder in the bottom of Willow Canyon below Catalina Highway. Over the coming week, isolated showers and thunderstorms are possible, which may help put the finishing touches on the Bighorn Fire.
The fire burned across the Santa Catalina Mountains for more than a month, after being ignited by a lightning strike on June 5. High temperatures and strong gusts hampered containment procedures for multiple weeks. However, fire crews gradually got a hold of the blaze as the monsoon neared. On Saturday, July 11, the southern slopes of the fire received approximately .25 inches of rain, which helped further contain the diminishing blaze.
As of Monday, July 13, 239 fire personnel still remained on the task, down from nearly 1,000 personnel three weeks prior. Much of the work now involves repairing and maintaining fire lines as clean-up begins. According to the Southwest Area Incident Management Team, fire crews recently completed chipping operations at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter and Mount Bigelow, and felled hazard trees in Spencer Campground.
Their next objective is to identify and assess hazard trees that may require removal due to the high winds received over the fire area. Chipping, backhaul, and suppression rehabilitation will continue in the Summerhaven area, as well as other portions of the fire.
Speaking of Summerhaven, fire crews report that no structures have been lost in Summerhaven. The Catalina Highway up Mount Lemmon is slowly reopening, with only business owners and residents of the mountain communities allowed to return as Monday, July 13.
The fire continues to smolder in the bottom of Willow Canyon below Catalina Highway. Over the coming week, isolated showers and thunderstorms are possible, which may help put the finishing touches on the Bighorn Fire.
The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona climbed past 123,000 as of Monday, July 13, after the state reported 1,357 new cases this morning, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had 11,856 of the state's 123,824 confirmed cases.
A total of 2,245 people have died after contracting the virus.
Maricopa County has 81,216 of the state's cases.
Hospitals remain under pressure. The report shows that 3,373 COVID patients were hospitalized yesterday in the state.
A total of 1,650 people visited ERs yesterday.
A total of 936 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds yesterday.
In response to the rising cases, Gov. Doug Ducey said last week that restaurants would be limited to 50 percent capacity, though he took no other steps to reduce the spread of the virus other than announcing that the state would be stepping up its testing program in the weeks to come.
Ducey said the state was reaching a plateau since local officials had begun requiring masks in some communities but stopped short of mandating the wearing of masks himself. Ducey said it would be better if Arizonans decided to do that without his mandate.
Democrats in the Arizona Senate released a joint statement saying they were "profoundly disappointed" in Ducey's failure to take further action.
"The newest actions to curb COVID-19 in Arizona are reactionary, piecemeal half measures that are inadequate to substantially slow the spread of the virus." the lawmakers wrote. "We have urged, and continue to urge, the governor to take swift and preemptive actions to curtail the virus’s spread, especially in light of Arizona being reported as the worst in the world for the COVID-19 pandemic. If we truly care about the health and economy of the state, then we need another statewide stay at home order. Only limiting indoor dining to less than 50 percent is woefully inadequate to significantly curb the spread of COVID-19 in Arizona. This fragmented approach has clear economic consequences–consequences that could have been avoided had we taken the pandemic seriously earlier. Taking more aggressive action now will allow us to safely open schools in the future."
Pima County had 11,856 of the state's 123,824 confirmed cases.
A total of 2,245 people have died after contracting the virus.
Maricopa County has 81,216 of the state's cases.
Hospitals remain under pressure. The report shows that 3,373 COVID patients were hospitalized yesterday in the state.
A total of 1,650 people visited ERs yesterday.
A total of 936 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds yesterday.
In response to the rising cases, Gov. Doug Ducey said last week that restaurants would be limited to 50 percent capacity, though he took no other steps to reduce the spread of the virus other than announcing that the state would be stepping up its testing program in the weeks to come.
Ducey said the state was reaching a plateau since local officials had begun requiring masks in some communities but stopped short of mandating the wearing of masks himself. Ducey said it would be better if Arizonans decided to do that without his mandate.
Democrats in the Arizona Senate released a joint statement saying they were "profoundly disappointed" in Ducey's failure to take further action.
"The newest actions to curb COVID-19 in Arizona are reactionary, piecemeal half measures that are inadequate to substantially slow the spread of the virus." the lawmakers wrote. "We have urged, and continue to urge, the governor to take swift and preemptive actions to curtail the virus’s spread, especially in light of Arizona being reported as the worst in the world for the COVID-19 pandemic. If we truly care about the health and economy of the state, then we need another statewide stay at home order. Only limiting indoor dining to less than 50 percent is woefully inadequate to significantly curb the spread of COVID-19 in Arizona. This fragmented approach has clear economic consequences–consequences that could have been avoided had we taken the pandemic seriously earlier. Taking more aggressive action now will allow us to safely open schools in the future."
