PHOENIX (AP) - Gov. Doug Ducey implored people to get the COVID-19 vaccine when they’re eligible as hospital capacity on Wednesday hit a record low since the start of the pandemic.
Ducey continued to resist pressure to impose new business restrictions or a statewide mask mandate, measures requested by hospital leaders and several mayors to constrain the spread of the virus.
“We need Arizonans to step up and get the vaccine if we want to stop the spread of this virus,” Ducey told reporters during a stop at the state fairgrounds, where Banner Health plans to begin vaccinating health care workers on Thursday. “It’s our best shot at returning to normalcy.”
Arizona was allotted 384,000 vaccine doses by the end of the year. Immunizations began Tuesday for health care workers. Nursing home patients and staff will follow. Older people and those with underlying conditions that make them more vulnerable if infected are expected to be eligible sometime in the spring, followed by healthy adults.
Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, who has been the public face of the state government’s coronavirus response, was among 10 people who were slated to get the vaccine in front of cameras later Wednesday to demonstrate its safety. Others included nurses, a member of the National Guard and a firefighter.
Arizona on Wednesday reported 108 new deaths attributed to COVID-19, tying a previous one-day record during the current virus surge. A record 92% of Arizona’s inpatient beds were filled Tuesday, mixed almost evenly between coronavirus patients and those hospitalized for other reasons, according to the state’s coronavirus dashboard.
And there’s no end in sight, according to Arizona State University researchers who are tracking the pandemic.
The state is now seeing higher case numbers than it did when Arizona was a national hotspot in June and July. There are fewer measures in place to slow the spread and limited backup resources for hospitals than were available in the summer, said Dr. Joshua LaBaer, executive director of Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute.
“We’re pushing on almost one of two beds in the hospitals right now is that one disease,” LaBaer said. “That’s a staggering statistic when you think about the things that can afflict people. And it certainly means that hospitals at this point are having to make decisions about keeping people out of the hospital to keep beds available for the COVID patients.”
For people with a new cancer diagnosis or who need another urgent surgery, that could mean delaying those procedures, he said.
LaBaer noted that Ducey had closed bars and in-person dining for restaurants at the height of the summer surge. But Ducey for weeks has refused to reimpose those restrictions even as cases rose amid predictions that hospitals would soon be overwhelmed.
Hospital executives and public health experts have warned that the current surge, which has spiked since Thanksgiving, could exceed the health system’s capacity this month.
Ducey said states with more intense restrictions on businesses and individual activities are also seeing surges in coronavirus cases. He said he won’t take actions that would force people out of work, instead urging the public to act responsibly by wearing a mask, avoiding large gatherings, social distancing and washing hands.
“We’re doing everything that we can,” Ducey said.
A group of Democratic mayors and state lawmakers, along with health care workers, disagree. They sent Ducey a letter Wednesday charging he’s “ignored public health experts” and repeating their call for a statewide mask mandate. They also asked him to push Congress for another coronavirus relief package and to work with the Legislature to expand unemployment benefits.
“As governor, you have the ability and the duty to act immediately and guide Arizona through these next months as the vaccine becomes available,” they wrote. “What is needed are critical measures to save lives and provide crucial aid to those facing financial hardship through no fault of their own.”
As the state’s vaccination campaign begins, the state Department of Health Services reported 4,848 additional known COVID-19 cases, bringing the state’s totals to 429,219 cases.
Wednesday’s report of 108 known deaths tied the number reported on Dec. 9, when state health officials said that day’s report was inflated by the review of past death certificates, which newly attributed some additional deaths to COVID-19. Department of Health Services officials did not immediately respond to a query from the Associated Press asking whether Wednesday’s report included results from death certificate reviews.
Since the start of the pandemic, 7,530 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19. The seven-day rolling average of deaths in Arizona rose from 24.6 per day on Dec. 1 to 64.1 on Tuesday.
The Pima County Health Department announced Wednesday that its director, Dr. Theresa Cullen, had tested positive for COVID-19, part of an apparent outbreak involving 11 department employees.
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Associated Press reporter Bob Christie contributed to the report.
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