The Arizona Department of Health Services on Wednesday reported an additional 2,180 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 124 more deaths, increasing the state’s pandemic totals to 1,175,520 cases and 21,273 deaths.
COVID-19-related hospitalizations dropped slightly, with 1,842 virus patients occupying hospital inpatient beds as of Tuesday, the department’s coronavirus dashboard reported.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases rose over the past two weeks, increasing from 2,178 on Oct. 18 to 3,096 on Monday.
The rolling average of daily deaths dropped slightly during the same period, decreasing from 37.8 to 34.
Meanwhile, Monday was the deadline for Phoenix-based Banner Health’s 62,000 employees to get vaccinated. Officials said 97% of their workforce, including contract workers and affiliated physicians, were now fully vaccinated or had been granted exemptions based on religious or medical grounds.
“We respect this was a difficult choice for some team members,” Banner said in a statement. “Those who chose not to comply will be placed on unpaid leave and will have until Nov. 30 to comply with this requirement or resign.”
David Lozano, a Banner spokesman, did not say how many workers were still unvaccinated. Hospital officials say services have not been disrupted by this.
Banner is Arizona’s largest hospital chain and the state’s largest private employer. It operates 30 acute-care hospitals in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming.
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
