Coronavirus Case Count Exceeds 40,000
With 1,827 new COVID-19 cases reported today by the Arizona Department of Health Services, the total number of cases in Arizona has risen to 40,924. The total case number has risen by 38 percent since last Tuesday. Maricopa County remains the county with the highest reported cases, at 22,272.
Death Toll Surpasses 1,200
Arizona’s total COVID-19 deaths have reached 1,827, with 20 reported today. Three quarters of these deaths are made up of people age 65 and older.
Additional Data Points
The ADHS reports that 80 percent of adult ICU beds and 81 percent of inpatient beds are in use. Governor Ducey stated in a press conference on June 11 that COVID cases make up 23 to 26 percent of ICU beds in use.
The ADHS is also monitoring COVID-like illnesses (CLI) on their data dashboard in addition to confirmed COVID cases. Last week, the percentage of visits with CLI from the Emergency Department was at 5 percent.
Governor Ducey’s Response
Governor Doug Ducey has not yet mandated the wearing of masks in public, although both he and public health officials recommend that citizens do so. In his press conference last Thursday, June 11, the governor stated that Arizona’s clear increase in cases and positive tests is a direct result of increased testing.
Dr. Cara Christ, Director of ADHS, in a June 4 press conference with the governor, attributed this increase to both increases in testing and also moves to reopen the state. Governor Ducey acknowledged last week that the increase in positive tests is “not the direction we want to go; we want to go in the other direction.” When asked about the possibility of having let his stay-at-home order expire too soon, Governor Ducey responded by saying that the order was put in place to prepare for “where we are right now,” with hospital capacity and ventilators available for future use by citizens in the case of “a possible worst-case scenario.”
Dr. Christ encourages everyone to maintain physical distancing, stay home when sick and wash hands diligently. “We know that it’s in the community; we are not going to be able stop the spread, and so we can’t stop living as well,” she says.
