Friday, April 9, 2021
PHOENIX – For some sports fans, the interaction with an athlete during an autograph session is the best feeling in the world. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has taken some of the excitement out of autograph seeking.
Before the pandemic, fans hoping to get an autograph from a favorite player could show up before games, especially during spring training around the Phoenix area, and head down to the first few rows of stands. Players would spend time signing baseballs, gloves, hats and cards.
Whether it was a young kid seeking an autograph of his favorite star for sentimental value or professional memorabilia collectors trying to get multiple items signed for resale and profit, autographs were easily accessible.
Athletes these days are required to keep their distance from fans, who aren’t subject to regular COVID-19 testing like players. It means players can’t make the day of a young fan by signing an item and perhaps exchanging a few words with them.
Signing autographs is off limits for players in most sports, and it was especially evident at Cactus League baseball games around the Phoenix area. Getting autographs at spring training is a rite of passage for many young fans.
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Ben Bowden feels for the kids in the stands he has to turn down.
“Some kid came up and asked for an autograph,” Bowden said. “And I said, ‘Hey, sorry buddy we’re not allowed to.’ The look on his face, (I) was not happy that I had to say that to him because I remember what it was like being little and wanting an autograph. So I know that kind of stung him a little bit.
With 1,302 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 848,000 as of Friday, April 9, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 88 new cases today, has seen 113,463 of the state’s 848,202 confirmed cases.
With 7 new deaths reported this morning, a total of 17,062 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 2,367 deaths in Pima County, according to the April 9 report.
A total of 571 coronavirus patients were in the hospital as of April 8. That’s roughly 11% 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 974 people visited emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms on April 8. That number represents 41% 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.
A total of 149 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on April 8, which roughly 12% of the record 1,183 ICU patients 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.
UA opening 8,900 vax appointments today, Pima County opening appointments at new indoor site
The UA POD will open 8,900 first-dose COVID-19 vaccination appointments today, with additional same-day appointments available every day.
The university advises checking for appointments frequently as appointments will be updated online throughout the day, based on operational capacity.
In order to encourage UA student vaccination, the university is offering students the ability to register onsite for a same-day appointment at either the student registration tent on Cherry Avenue open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., the CAT Ambassador Team Tent on the Mall in front of the Student Union, or by registering online.
Anyone 16 and older is eligible for vaccination at the UA POD. To register for an appointment visit podvaccine.azdhs.gov. For further assistance email [email protected] or call 602-542-1000 for help in English or Spanish.
The UA POD is open for walk-in or drive-thru appointments from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Pima County will also open registration today for appointments at a new indoor vaccine site at the Kino Event Center, where the county had earlier been doing COVID testing. That site opens Monday and will be open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Register at azdhs.gov.
Pima County transitioning to indoor vax sites
As temperatures rise, Pima County officials are shifting to indoor
vaccination sites to avoid making staff and volunteers endure long days in triple-degree temperatures.
The county has already opened an indoor vaccination POD at El Pueblo Center, 101 W. Irvington Road, which is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
The county will also work with TMC to move their drive-thru POD to a walk-through site at the Udall Center at Udall Park, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road, beginning April 19. Appointments can be made through register.vaccine.pima.gov.
The drive-through POD at Banner-South Kino Stadium, 2500 E. Ajo Way, will offer appointments between 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning April 17.
"We reached over 500,000 vaccinations in Pima County earlier this week, and we are going to continue our momentum as temperatures rise," said Pima County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen in a prepared statement. "All these moves will keep the community, the POD workers and the volunteers safe from the heat as we put shots into arms."
Adults older than 16 now eligible for appointments at state and county clinics
Pima County and the state of Arizona have opened vaccine appointments to anyone 16 or older.
You can register for your vaccine appointments at a state POD by visiting pod vaccine.azdhs.gov, and those who need assistance can call 1-844-542-8201.
Register for an appointment at a Pima County POD at pima.gov/covid19vaccineregistration or by calling 520-222-0119.
Many local pharmacies are now receiving vaccine doses. To find one near you, visit the ADHS website.
Get tested: Pima County has free COVID testing
Pima County is continuing to offer a number of testing centers around town.
You’ll have a nasal swab test at the Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road, until it transitions to an indoor vaccination site.
The center at the northside Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road, involves a saliva test designed by ASU.
Schedule an appointment at these or other drive-thru or pop-up sites at pima.gov/covid19testing.
The University of Arizona’s antibody testing can determine if you have had COVID and now have antibodies. To sign up for testing, visit https://covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu/home.
—with additional reporting from Austin Counts, Christina Duran, Jeff Gardner and Mike Truelsen
Thursday, April 8, 2021
The UA POD will open 8,900 first-dose COVID-19 vaccination appointments on Friday, with additional same-day appointments available every day.
The university advises checking for appointments frequently as appointments will be updated online throughout the day, based on operational capacity.
In order to encourage UA student vaccination, the university is offering students the ability to register onsite for a same-day appointment at either the student registration tent on Cherry Avenue open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., the CAT Ambassador Team Tent on the Mall in front of the Student Union, or by registering online.
Anyone 16 and older is eligible for vaccination at the UA POD. To register for an appointment visit podvaccine.azdhs.gov. For further assistance email [email protected] or call 602-542-1000 for help in English or Spanish.
The UA POD is open for walk-in or drive-thru appointments from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Pima County will also open registration tomorrow for appointments at a new indoor vaccine site at the Kino Event Center, where the county had earlier been doing COVID testing. That site opens Monday and will be open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Register at azdhs.gov.
It's that time of year again, when rattlesnakes are more active.
Getting bit by a rattlesnake can be fatal and cause a great deal of pain, says Meghan Spyres, MD, a toxicologist with Banner Poison and Drug Information Center. The center has already helped one patient with a rattlesnake bite.
''So, if you see a snake while hiking, you definitely want to stop, maybe take a couple steps back, give it some space, and then go around it,’’ she said. “And when you do that, make sure you're also looking for any other snakes that might be out there.''
Rattlesnake venom can cause pain, swelling, redness, bruising, and even tissue necrosis at the site of the bite, she said. It can also impair blood clotting.
“It's uncommon to die from a rattlesnake bite, but it certainly can occur,’’ she said. “They can cause your whole body to kind of have a reaction. Your blood pressure can go low. And that's one of the reasons it's important to seek immediate medical care, especially in the cases that might be more severe.’’
If you are bitten, call 911 immediately, remove any tight jewelry, elevate the bite site, she said.
- If you are bitten, there are also actions that shouldn’t take, including:
- Don’t apply tourniquets: Stopping blood flow may help with other types of snake bites but not with rattlesnakes, Spyres said.
- Don’t try to suck out the wound: “That's not effective. And in fact, I've seen complications from people trying to suck out the venom that cause infections in the wound.’’
- Don’t capture the snake: Toxicologists can treat snakebite patients without knowing the type they encountered
Tucson Water has received several complaints of individuals coming to homes and asking to be let inside to collect water samples.
Individuals arrive unannounced, show a badge, claiming to be Water Department employees and say they need to check the water in the house, including in the bedrooms. One resident discovered that personal items were missing after one individual was allowed to enter the home.
Incidents have been reported near Sunrise and Swan and Speedway and Camino Seco.
Tucson Water employees will only come to your home after an appointment has been made. Employees always have an identification badge, wear a Tucson Water uniform, and drive a marked City of Tucson/Tucson Water vehicle. They very rarely need to enter the home to collect water samples, as that can usually be done outside.
Residents who suspect they might be targeted by an imposter should refuse them entry and contact the Police Department at 911 as soon as possible.
PHOENIX – State lawmakers are one step closer to passing a bill that would require parents to give written permission for children to discuss sex and gender identity in the classroom and ban any formal sex education – including AIDS instruction – before the fifth grade.
The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, calls Senate Bill 1456 “a parents’ rights bill.”
“Parents should not have to worry about what schools are teaching their children about human sexuality,” she said in an email. “Too often parents learn after the fact that explicit or controversial materials were presented without their knowledge or consent.”
However, opponents call the measure a dangerous move backward.
“It’s going to impact the ability of teachers to talk about a wide range of issues that impact all students,” said Sen. Martín Quezada, D-Phoenix. Bills like this, he added, “do more harm than they do good to our kids.”
SB 1456 has moved through the Legislature along party lines – finding staunch Republican support and fierce criticism from Democrats. The bill passed the Senate 16-14, and a House committee gave its approval on March 24. The measure now goes to the full House, where Republicans hold a 31-29 majority, for consideration.
Arizona schools are not legally required to teach sex education; school districts usually make those decisions, and parents can opt out of the instruction for their children.
With 670 new cases reported today, the total number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases neared 847,000 as of Thursday, April 8, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County, which reported 122 new cases today, has seen 113,375 of the state’s 846,900 confirmed cases.
With 32 new deaths reported this morning, a total of 17,055 Arizonans have died after contracting COVID-19, including 2,366 deaths in Pima County, according to the April 8 report.
A total of 541 coronavirus patients were in the hospital as of April 7. That’s roughly 10.5% 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 1,022 people visited emergency rooms with COVID-like symptoms on April 7. That number represents 43.5% 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.
A total of 140 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care unit beds on April 7, which roughly 12% of the record 1,183 ICU patients 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.
