As COVID-19 case numbers continue to climb in Arizona, the governor on Friday reiterated calls for people to get vaccinated but also maintained it was a personal choice.
“We have made it clear from the very beginning that we will never mandate the vaccine, and we’ve taken action to prevent vaccine passports or mandates,” Gov. Doug Ducey said. “We have also encouraged everyone to get this vaccine. It is the surest way of keeping you and your loved ones safe.”
The Republican governor’s statement came not long after the state reported 1,479 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the highest daily case number in over a week. Officials also reported another seven deaths.
This brings Arizona’s totals since the pandemic began to 914,132 cases and 18,144 deaths. Hospitalizations due to the virus also continue to trend upward with 910 patients statewide. Of those, 238 are in the intensive care unit. ICU occupancies have not been that high since March 12.
Dr. Cara Christ, head of the state Department of Health Services, said the presence in Arizona of the delta variant, first detected in India, will likely only grow. Working with the state, Arizona-based TGen has been regularly conducting genetic sequencing on a portion of positive case samples over the past three months. The percentage of samples showing the delta variant was 3% in May but shot up to 74% this month.
Experts say the delta variant as well as people gathering for the Fourth of July contributed to the trend.
Christ echoed Ducey’s assertion that vaccines are the best way to fight the virus. Since March, people who are not fully vaccinated made up 98% of deaths and 94% of hospitalizations. Those not fully vaccinated make up 89% of cases to date, Christ said.
She, however, cautioned against blaming those who have not been vaccinated.
“I don’t place blame. I think there’s a lot of hesitancy and misinformation that scares people about getting the shot,” Christ told reporters. “I hate to see the numbers increasing when there’s a tool out there … that’s something we’re going to continue to work on.”
In Arizona, vaccine demand remains sluggish. The portion of the eligible population who has gotten at least partially vaccinated has hovered around 51% for several days. More than 6.7 million vaccine doses have been administered so far. Almost 3.7 million people have gotten at least one dose. Over 3.3 million have been fully vaccinated.
Ducey’s administration has been criticized for striking down measures like mask mandates, regular COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated university students, and restrictions on businesses.
In his latest statement, Ducey promised, “We will not be listening to the lockdown lobby.”
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
