Monday, August 10, 2020
Your Southern AZ COVID-19 Roundup for Monday, Aug 10: Total cases hit 187K; New Pop-Up Sites Opening in Pima County; Relief Package Talks Collapse in DC, Trump Gives Up Negotiating with Democrats, Issues Various Orders
The number of Arizona’s confirmed novel coronavirus cases topped 187,000 as of Monday, Aug. 10, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had seen 17,996 of the state’s 187,523 confirmed cases.
A total of 4,154 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, according to the Aug. 10 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline. ADHS reported that as of Aug. 9, 1,575 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, down from a peak of 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 987 people visited ERs on Aug. 9 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 506 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds on Aug. 9. The number in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
Pima County launching pop-up COVID testing centers this week
The Pima County Health Department is rolling out new drive-thru COVID-19 testing events beginning next week that will be available in areas of the county that have had limited testing availability.
Through their partnership with the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, Pima County will offer a minimal contact testing operation for free at the following times and locations. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged and can be completed at www.pima.gov/covid19testing.
Here’s a list of where the test sites will be available:
Ajo/Sells
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11
Ajo High School, 111 N. Well Road
Three Points
2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12
Robles Junction Community Center, 16150 W. Ajo Way
Marana/Picture Rocks
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13
Wheeler Taft Public Library, 7800 N. Schisler Drive
Green Valley/Sahuarita
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14
Green Valley Recreation Desert Hills Center, 2980 S. Camino Del Sol
Vail/Corona de Tucson
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15
Pima County Fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road
Oro Valley/Catalina
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16
Coronado K-8 School, 3401 E. Wilds Road
Greater Tucson Area
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17
Rillito Racetrack, 4502 N. 1st Avenue
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18
Sunnyside High School, 1725 E. Bilby Road
South Tucson
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19
Tucson Rodeo Grounds, 4823 S. 6th Avenue
“This is an exciting development for COVID-19 testing,” Pima County Health Director Dr. Theresa Cullen said in a press release. “This unorthodox style allows us to get into communities that have not had easy or broad access to tests and get a better understanding of COVID-19 across the county.”
Participants can access their test results by logging into www.doineedacovid19test.com within a few days. The county expects to complete 20,000 tests through these events.
Pima County has also teamed up with the City of Tucson to open a third testing center. The new center, which opens today, is at the Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road. Tests are available Tuesday through Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The new center, which requires a nasal swab, joins a similar facility at Kino Event Center, E. Ajo Way.
A third center at the northside Ellie Towne Center, opened in conjunction with ASU, involves a saliva test.
The centers offer easy-to-schedule appointments—often with same-day availability—and you get results in less than 72 hours. Schedule an appointment at pima.gov/covid19testing.
The centers are also tied into Pima County’s developing contact tracing operation, which aims to be able to identify potential clusters and warn people if they have been in contact with someone who is COVID-positive.
If you’re interested in a test to determine if you’ve already had COVID-19, the UA has expanded a free COVID-19 antibody testing program to include 15 new categories of essential workers considered at high risk for exposure.
The antibody test, developed by researchers at UA Health Sciences, determines who has been exposed to and developed an immune response against COVID-19.
In addition to healthcare workers and first responders, the test program is now open to educators, childcare workers, agriculture, grocery and foodservice workers, hospitality employees, solid-waste collection workers, transportation services workers and members of the National Guard.
More information and registration for the test is available at covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu.
Gridlock in DC leads to Trump orders on coronavirus relief
Negotiations between White House officials and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate collapsed last week, leading President Donald Trump to announce several orders.
Democrats were seeking a $3 trillion aid package that includes an extension of the additional $600 a week in unemployment benefits through the end of the year, aid to states and other provisions. While Democrats agreed to drop their demand to $2 trillion, Republicans said they wouldn’t spend more than $1 trillion.
Last week, that extra $600 a week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation that out-of-work Arizonans have been receiving expired.
Trump’s new orders included a $300-a-week extension of unemployment payments provided states agree to kick in $100 a week as well, paid for with funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency; a deferral of payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare that workers will have to pay back unless Congress acts to make the deferral permanent; a three-month deferment of student loan payments; and a request that the Department of Housing see if there’s anything that can be done to help Americans avoid evictions.
—By Jim Nintzel with additional reporting from Kathleen B. Kunz, Austin Counts, Jeff Gardner, and Tara Foulkrod
Pima County had seen 17,996 of the state’s 187,523 confirmed cases.
A total of 4,154 Arizonans had died after contracting COVID-19, according to the Aug. 10 report.
The number of hospitalized COVID cases continues to decline. ADHS reported that as of Aug. 9, 1,575 COVID patients were hospitalized in the state, down from a peak of 3,517 on July 13.
A total of 987 people visited ERs on Aug. 9 with COVID symptoms. That number peaked at 2,008 on July 7.
A total of 506 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds on Aug. 9. The number in ICUs peaked at 970 on July 13.
Pima County launching pop-up COVID testing centers this week
The Pima County Health Department is rolling out new drive-thru COVID-19 testing events beginning next week that will be available in areas of the county that have had limited testing availability.
Through their partnership with the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, Pima County will offer a minimal contact testing operation for free at the following times and locations. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged and can be completed at www.pima.gov/covid19testing.
Here’s a list of where the test sites will be available:
Ajo/Sells
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11
Ajo High School, 111 N. Well Road
Three Points
2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12
Robles Junction Community Center, 16150 W. Ajo Way
Marana/Picture Rocks
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13
Wheeler Taft Public Library, 7800 N. Schisler Drive
Green Valley/Sahuarita
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14
Green Valley Recreation Desert Hills Center, 2980 S. Camino Del Sol
Vail/Corona de Tucson
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15
Pima County Fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road
Oro Valley/Catalina
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16
Coronado K-8 School, 3401 E. Wilds Road
Greater Tucson Area
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17
Rillito Racetrack, 4502 N. 1st Avenue
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18
Sunnyside High School, 1725 E. Bilby Road
South Tucson
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19
Tucson Rodeo Grounds, 4823 S. 6th Avenue
“This is an exciting development for COVID-19 testing,” Pima County Health Director Dr. Theresa Cullen said in a press release. “This unorthodox style allows us to get into communities that have not had easy or broad access to tests and get a better understanding of COVID-19 across the county.”
Participants can access their test results by logging into www.doineedacovid19test.com within a few days. The county expects to complete 20,000 tests through these events.
Pima County has also teamed up with the City of Tucson to open a third testing center. The new center, which opens today, is at the Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road. Tests are available Tuesday through Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The new center, which requires a nasal swab, joins a similar facility at Kino Event Center, E. Ajo Way.
A third center at the northside Ellie Towne Center, opened in conjunction with ASU, involves a saliva test.
The centers offer easy-to-schedule appointments—often with same-day availability—and you get results in less than 72 hours. Schedule an appointment at pima.gov/covid19testing.
The centers are also tied into Pima County’s developing contact tracing operation, which aims to be able to identify potential clusters and warn people if they have been in contact with someone who is COVID-positive.
If you’re interested in a test to determine if you’ve already had COVID-19, the UA has expanded a free COVID-19 antibody testing program to include 15 new categories of essential workers considered at high risk for exposure.
The antibody test, developed by researchers at UA Health Sciences, determines who has been exposed to and developed an immune response against COVID-19.
In addition to healthcare workers and first responders, the test program is now open to educators, childcare workers, agriculture, grocery and foodservice workers, hospitality employees, solid-waste collection workers, transportation services workers and members of the National Guard.
More information and registration for the test is available at covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu.
Gridlock in DC leads to Trump orders on coronavirus relief
Negotiations between White House officials and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate collapsed last week, leading President Donald Trump to announce several orders.
Democrats were seeking a $3 trillion aid package that includes an extension of the additional $600 a week in unemployment benefits through the end of the year, aid to states and other provisions. While Democrats agreed to drop their demand to $2 trillion, Republicans said they wouldn’t spend more than $1 trillion.
Last week, that extra $600 a week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation that out-of-work Arizonans have been receiving expired.
Trump’s new orders included a $300-a-week extension of unemployment payments provided states agree to kick in $100 a week as well, paid for with funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency; a deferral of payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare that workers will have to pay back unless Congress acts to make the deferral permanent; a three-month deferment of student loan payments; and a request that the Department of Housing see if there’s anything that can be done to help Americans avoid evictions.
—By Jim Nintzel with additional reporting from Kathleen B. Kunz, Austin Counts, Jeff Gardner, and Tara Foulkrod
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