Wednesday, March 3, 2021
With 1,284 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases closed in on 820,000 as of Wednesday, March 3, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 257 new cases today, has seen 109,941 of the state’s 819,954 confirmed cases.
With 29 new deaths reported today, a total of 16,089 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 2,233 deaths in Pima County, according to the March 3 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide has continued to decline, with 1,165 coronavirus patients in the hospital as of March 2. That’s less than a fourth of the number hospitalized at the peak of the winter surge, which reached 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 1,087 people visited emergency rooms on March 2 with COVID symptoms, representing about 46 percent of 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.
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon did not have reliable estimates for the cost of its work supporting Homeland Security efforts on the southwestern border and did not assess the impact of those efforts on military readiness, a new report says.
The report by the Government Accountability Office also chided the Defense Department for failing to fully report its border costs to Congress in 2019, and said the Pentagon and Homeland Security need to come to an agreement on the level of long-term support.
The report, released Tuesday, was requested by a group of House and Senate Democrats and looked at a sample of four of the 33 “requests for assistance” at the border between 2018 and 2020.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Tucson, a longtime critic of a militarized border, said the report reaffirms his claim that former President Donald Trump’s use of active-duty and National Guard troops was a bad idea.
“There is nothing to gain from keeping the troops and their equipment at the border, other than promoting former President Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda and terrorizing border communities,” Grijalva said in a statement Thursday. “Our country has a long-standing norm that keeps the function of the U.S. military separate from domestic law enforcement affairs.”
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Nursing home COVID cases have declined since vaccines began to be administered in mid-December, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. Nursing homes in the US have seen the lowest number of new COVID cases since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services started tracking cases in May.
In the week of Dec. 20, 2020, U.S. nursing homes saw 33,000 new COVID cases. And in the week of Feb. 7, that number dropped to 6,000 cases. In the same period of time, AHCA/NCAL reports community cases in the general population dropped by 46%.
“We still have a long road ahead, but these numbers are incredibly encouraging and a major morale booster for frontline caregivers who have been working tirelessly every day for a year to protect our residents,” said AHCA/NCAL President Mark Parkinson in a press release. “This new data showcases just how important it is for nursing homes residents and staff, as well as the general public, to get the vaccine because it is clearly working.”
In addition to greatly reduced cases, nursing home COVID deaths have reduced by more than 60%. In the week of December 20, 2020, U.S. nursing homes saw 5,900 COVID-related deaths. Compare that to the week of Feb. 7, when U.S. nursing homes saw 2,200 COVID-related deaths.
“Though this report brings hope, we cannot let our guard down. We must continue to encourage folks to get vaccinated, especially caregivers and staff,” Parkinson said.
With 849 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 818,000 as of Tuesday, March 2, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 83 new cases today, has seen 109,684 of the state’s 818,670 confirmed cases.
With 81 new deaths reported today, a total of 16,060 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 2,227 deaths in Pima County, according to the March 1 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases statewide has declined in recent weeks, with 1,202 coronavirus patients in the hospital as of March 1. That’s less than a fourth of the number hospitalized at the peak of the winter surge, which reached 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.
WASHINGTON – The House voted to permanently ban new mining claims on more than 1 million acres around Grand Canyon National Park, with supporters calling protection of the landmark canyon a “moral issue.”
The bill would make permanent a current mining moratorium that is scheduled to run through 2032. Supporters said a permanent ban is needed because the Grand Canyon is too valuable to risk possible damage from future mining.
“Protecting our environment is not a matter of choice or political preference,” said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, in a statement from his office. “It’s the only path forward for our country and our way of life.”
Grijalva, the lead sponsor of the canyon bill, said earlier this month that “the Grand Canyon should be the least controversial” place on the planet to consider protecting from mining.
Monday, March 1, 2021
Looks like Councilman Steve Kozachik has a challenger in this year’s Democratic primary.
Miranda Schubert, an academic advisor at the University of Arizona who has also served as a DJ on KXCI community radio and hosted a feminist-oriented live talk show at Club Congress, announced today that she was challenging the two-term councilman in the Aug. 3 primary.
Schubert said in a statement that she wants to see the council do more to provide affordable housing, policies that lead to higher wages and alternative policing strategies.
“The majority of Tucson’s residents aren’t people who are preoccupied with the resale value of their home,” she said. “They’re families like mine, working for the institutions and small businesses that drive Tucson’s economy, but feeling ignored and left out of whatever future our leadership is imagining for the city.”
She added that increasing rents were creating a housing affordability crisis.
“You cannot tell people in this city that rents are too low or actually affordable when they have evidence in their daily life to the contrary,” she said.
Kozachik said that Schubert “was welcome to take part in the democratic process.”
“These jobs are first and foremost about addressing the day-to-day concerns of our constituents,” Kozachik added. “I believe she’s going to learn that my office has a pretty damn good record with constituent services and being accessible and responsive. Continuing that personal touch is a big reason I’m doing this one more time.”
Kozachik was elected to the Tucson City Council as a Republican in 2009 but switched to the Democratic Party after fighting with GOP members of the Arizona Legislature. He won reelection as a Democrat in 2013 and 2017.
Petition signatures are due for candidates on April 5.
There’s still some question as to whether Tucson will have an election this year, as the city is still awaiting an Arizona Supreme Court decision regarding a state law that would force the city to move elections, including this year’s contest, to even years to correspond with presidential and midterm elections.
Additional vaccine appointments beginning Sunday for the University of Arizona POD will be made available soon, said UA President Dr. Robert C. Robbins at a press conference this morning.
Robbins asks the public to continue to check for appointments and reminded the public that the number of appointments available is directly proportional to the number of vaccine doses.
The university is scheduled to receive 16,380 doses this week and has distributed more than 35,000 doses, said Robbins.
The POD continues to run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, but with an increase in vaccines, the hours may be expanded to become a 24/7 POD by the end of March or the beginning of April, said Arizona Health Director Dr. Cara Christ during a news conference last week.
Robbins said the issue is a supply problem, as with the expanded hours, the vaccine distribution center could deliver 6,000 to 7,000 doses per day with 24-hour service.
"As soon as the state can give us the vaccine that we need, we'll gladly go 24/7, seven days a week, until we get as many people vaccinated as soon as possible," said Robbins.
As vaccines become available at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, Dr. Richard Carmona, UA's reentry task force director, hopes people will go to where they can get a vaccine as quickly as they can.
“The more places we have that allow vaccines to be given is clearly part of our value proposition to accelerate herd immunity,” said Carmona.
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