Ducey investigates how Arizona becomes a ‘hot spot’ for COVID-19

PHOENIX (AP) – As Arizona has been periodically increasing in COVID-19 cases since last spring, Doug Ducey’s government has regularly opposed calls for strong action. He refused to establish a mandate across the country, allowing school districts to mostly make their own choices and allowing businesses to remain open.

All of these choices by the Republican governor are now being re-examined, as the state becomes Grand Canyon what health officials call the latest ‘hot spot’ in the world, due to the rising cases.

‘We have a governor and health director who does not care. Their goal, in my opinion, is to inoculate their way out of this, “said Will Humble, head of the Arizona Public Health Association. Eventually it will work. In the meantime, there are only going to be a lot of dead people. ”

CJ Karamargin, the governor’s spokesman, said the current number of cases and deaths was ‘heartbreaking’, but it is a phenomenon that occurs in other states, even with strict home orders.

“Faced with strict mitigation measures and states that have few or minimal mitigation measures in place, everyone experiences the same thing,” Karamargin said. ‘The mitigation measures that the state of Arizona put in place early on – they remain in place. We appeal to every Arizonan to follow them. ‘

At the same time, the state is working to supplement vaccine distribution efforts, Karamargin added. More than 119,000 people in Arizona received the vaccine, health officials said Wednesday. That is less than 2% of the state’s population. Nationally, as of Wednesday, more than three weeks into the U.S. vaccination campaign, 5.3 million people have received their first dose.

Liz Curren, 34, of Phoenix, has been monitoring her husband, Russell, 37, since he was infected with the virus more than a week ago. His symptoms included severe body aches, chills and pain in his lungs and kidneys. The couple and four other family members gathered during Christmas, but took every precaution such as wearing masks. Still, Russell Curren and three others later tested positive. Liz Curren tested negative three times.

“I absolutely think there is more, or that more needs to be done,” Liz Curren said. ‘Whatever is done does not work. I do not feel that clubs and bars and gyms should be open. ”

Meanwhile, the death toll in Arizona due to the pandemic is now approaching 10,000. State health officials on Thursday reported 297 new virus-related deaths. Most of it has been attributed to recent reviews of death certificates in the past.

The state also counted 9,913 cases of COVID-19 recently confirmed on Thursday, bringing the total to 584,593 so far.

Arizona has the worst coronavirus diagnosis rate in the country, with 1 in 119 people in the state testing positive in the past week, health officials said.

Just five months ago, President Donald Trump praised Arizona as a model for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. After a home order was gradually lifted early in the pandemic, the Republican governor did not want to impose restrictions like neighboring California, which is also seeing an increase in infections and overwhelming hospitals. In Arizona, indoor dining is allowed and gyms are limited with limited capacity, businesses that are more limited in many other states.

Ducey rejected calls from health care leaders to tighten restrictions, arguing it would cause people to be out of work. He also rejected a proposal to let all public schools go after the holidays for two weeks.

The approach of living and letting live probably worked for a few months, as things remained high, but probably more manageable compared to the situation in the summer. In recent days, the numbers have skyrocketed.

“It’s worse than in July, and it’s going to get worse. We are probably two weeks behind LA in terms of our situation, ”Humble said, referring to Los Angeles County, where a COVID-19 surge caused a shortage of oxygen and stopped ambulance personnel from transporting patients in which they can not revive the field.

Dr. Joshua LaBaer, ​​director of the Biodesign Institute research center at Arizona State University, calls the state “the hot spot in the world right now.” He believes that at least 1 in 10 people have the virus.

“That means if you’re in the supermarket, there are people around you who have it, but they may not know it yet,” LaBaer said. “This is not a time when I would recommend that people spend time indoors with people who are not their immediate family.”

The state will “no doubt” also see more deaths than usual in the winter months, LaBaer said. Apart from deaths associated with COVID-19, people with other diseases who are reluctant to go to hospital are at risk.

A record 4,920 COVID-19 patients were in the hospital bed as of Wednesday, according to the coronavirus dashboard.

Dr Marjorie Bessel, clinical head of Banner Health, the state’s largest hospital chain, said the uncontrollable spread of the virus could be reduced if the government applied mask requirements, banned indoor eateries and canceled large gatherings. People should also wear masks and limit their contact to only those with whom they live.

“We are not doing a good job with this virus,” Bessel said of the state. “At the moment, in the wake of the pandemic, we need additional mitigation. We need to apply the mitigation activities, and we all need to do our part. ”

Dr. Michael White, chief clinical officer of Arizona’s Valleywise Health, said the Phoenix-based health care system has no intensive care beds available. Some patients waiting on beds were treated in the emergency department for intestines.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in all the years I’d been in health care,” White said.

More mitigation efforts in early December would likely help with the boom that hospitals are seeing now, he added.

Virus numbers have been rising since bars, nightclubs and restaurants in Arizona were allowed to reopen fully in September. But travel and people gathering for the holiday, starting with Thanksgiving, were ‘petrol that went on fire’, Humble said.