The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona climbed past 101,000 as of Monday, July 6, after the state reported 3,352 new cases this morning, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Pima County had 9,873 of the state’s 101,441 confirmed cases.
A total of 1,810 people have died after contracting the virus.
Maricopa County has more than half the state’s cases, with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hitting 64,915.
Hospitals remain under pressure. The report shows that a record 3,212 COVID patients were hospitalized yesterday in the state, more than triple the 1,009 hospitalized on June 1.
A total of 1,306 people visited ERs yesterday.
A total of 1,405 COVID-19 patients were in ICU beds yesterday.
With the spread of COVID increasingly out of control in Arizona, some local school districts have announced that they will only offer “distance learning” or online instruction when school starts next month. Unlike in spring, when schools moved online following spring break, districts are planning stricter instructional time designed to mirror traditional in-person classes.
Tucson Unified School District announced last week that it would launch online classes for all students starting Aug. 10, with in-person classroom instruction delayed until “when it is deemed safe,” according to a letter to parents from TUSD Superintendent Gabrielle Trujillo.
Although Gov. Doug Ducey announced earlier this week that the start of the school year would be moved from Aug. 3 to Aug. 17, Trujillo said that date “may be aspirational.”
“Due to this uncertainty, and the importance of creating a stable educational environment for our families and staff, Tucson Unified has determined we will begin all students via Remote Learning on Monday, August 10, 2020 and then transition those interested in an on-campus learning experience when it is deemed safe,” Trujillo wrote. “Although starting this school year remotely is not ideal, we are committed to offering every child quality and rigorous curriculum, 5 days a week, from our highly qualified teachers. Instruction will be conducted utilizing teacher zoom lessons, as well as, some recorded lessons and offline homework. Classes will be consistent with real-time classroom instruction and will utilize approved online programs with assessment tools.”
Likewise, Sunnyside School District Superintendent Steve Holmes told parents that the district would start online classes on Aug. 5.
“While starting school completely online is not ideal, I am confident that we are prepared for a remote learning environment given our track record of using technology as an essential instructional tool for the past 10 years,” Holmes said. “We are committed to offering your child a quality uninterrupted learning experience. Our teachers and curriculum staff have been working all summer to ensure that we can remotely deliver the same rigorous curriculum that would have been offered in person.”
Ducey last week ordered the closing of some bars and all gyms, movie theaters, water parks, and river tubing activities for at least one month. Previously, Ducey had said new closures were not under discussion by his administration despite the rising number of cases.
Ducey warned that Arizonans will see more cases of COVID-19 before the numbers begin to decrease.
“Our expectation is, our numbers will be worse,” said Ducey, who repeated his call for Arizonans to mask up when in public, stay home as much as possible, wash their hands and keep a physical distance from others.
The Department of Health has activated its “crisis standards of care” and asked hospitals to cancel non-emergency surgeries as more COVID patients fill hospitals, ICU beds, and emergency rooms. In a visit to Arizona this week, Vice President Mike Pence said the federal government would be sending up to 500 healthcare workers to Arizona to support Arizona’s overstretched nurses and doctors.
This article appears in Jul 2-8, 2020.
Arizona continues to get worse, as Ducey’s response and the typical GOP anti-American campaign against mask wearing continues to claim more victims.
Spoke again to my ER nurse friend at the VA. They said that last night, every single person screened at the ER came up positive for COVID and were sent over to isolation.
One patient in particular bothered said nurse greatly. A female veteran, 38 years old. Came in with what looked like mild flu-like symptoms. Tested positive for COVID. Upon further examination, this otherwise healthy 38 year old had to be admitted because she has acute renal failure.
Republicans do not care about our veterans. They do not care about you or your family. McSally’s ads do not address the real issues plaguing Arizonans and Americans at all – just China, China, China. Who opened relations with China to move our jobs overseas? That’s right…Republican President Richard Nixon.
I worry about our hospital workers. I worry for their mental health, for their personal health. You should, too. If you don’t, I hope you will never need their help.
Article so badly written. YOu jump all over the place when you give numbers. How about how many new cases by county and deaths by county.
Also your political comments have no place here. You are no better than those you criticize for doing it. And your people who comment are no better than you.
If air travel from China had Not been permitted we would have lost many many more lives. If people had not been restricted from gathering places we would have had to say goodbye to so many of our loved ones. Peo ple are tired of it all , I understand ! Lets be strong and stand with one another and not lose sight of the real problem….Corona Virus
Oh, Karen Russo of NextHome Realty. It’s lovely to see your disparaging comments about health care workers.
You conservatives made this political with your refusals to listen to science and facts. You made it political when you refuse to support health care workers. You made not wearing masks a political statement.
That death count is on you.
In addition to my previous comment I would like to add that I am married to a veteran and Im republican. We do care about our veterans and our Police. Please dont over generalize and put words in our mouths!!
That’s exactly what brought down our Mayor. Let’s drop all the hatred and vitriol.
The science is still being developed. At this point we have lots of inaccurate data which makes for flawed science.The actual death ntoll is somewhere from half the number to twice the number depending on the medical and science community.
If masks work why did they empty the prisons?