COVID-19 conditions in Arizona have improved to the point where it is safe for four largely rural counties to reopen schools for partial in-person learning, state health officials said Thursday.
The counties given the green light to reopen schools for a mix of virtual and in-person instruction were Apache, Cochise, Coconino and Yavapai. Cities in those counties include Flagstaff, Prescott and Sierra Vista. Apache County includes part of the Navajo Nation, which was a national virus hotspot in the spring.
Arizona’s other 11 counties, including Maricopa, which includes Phoenix, and Pima, where Tucson is located, still haven’t cleared benchmarks based on case numbers, testing positivity and hospital visits.
Arizona became a national hotspot in June and July, with new infections rampant, hospitals nearing capacity and deaths soaring.
The sharp rise in cases started about two weeks after Gov. Doug Ducey allowed stay-at-home orders to expire on May 15, and bars, nightclubs and other large venues became packed with patrons.
In mid-June, Ducey relented and allowed local governments to require people to wear masks in public. On June 29, he ordered bars, nightclubs and water parks to close as daily case counts neared 5,000 a day.
Those actions appeared to have a major effect, with new cases dropping quickly.
The Department of Health Services on Thursday reported 723 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and 50 additional deaths, increasing the state’s totals to 196,280 cases and 4,684 deaths.
COVID-19-related hospitalization metrics posted by the Department of Health Services have returned to levels last reported in early June.
While the COVID-19 burden on hospitals “has been decreasing, it is important for everyone to continue working to prevent a new surge,” the department said on Twitter. “Wear a mask, stay home if you are sick, and physically distance while in public.”
Meanwhile, according to Johns Hopkins University data analyzed by The Associated Press, seven-day rolling averages of cases and deaths in Arizona continued to decline over the past two weeks.
The seven-day rolling average of new daily cases dropped from 1,990 on Aug. 5 to 873 on Aug. 19, and the rolling average of deaths per day dropped from 68 on Aug. 5 to 41 on Aug. 19.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested. Studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. boilerplate on cases.
Only a few Arizona school districts have reopened for general in-person learning. One that tried to do so was blocked by a teacher sickout and has resumed virtual instruction for now.
The J.O. Combs Unified School District board voted 4-1 Wednesday night to resume remote learning starting Thursday. The district’s board will meet again on Aug. 27 to review updated state coronavirus metrics on reopening schools to again consider whether to resume in-person instruction while continuing remote learning, Superintendent Gregory Wyman said.
Wyman said the Pinal County community on the southeastern outskirts of metro Phoenix was deeply divided about reopening schools.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
In another virus-related development in Arizona, a health care provider in Phoenix is enrolling 1,500 people to participate in a trial of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AztraZenca, a British-Swedish pharmaceutical company, the Arizona Republic reported.
“The fact that it is a leading candidate right now, just made it a more exciting prospect to be involved,” said Justin Bayless, CEO of Bayless Integrated Healthcare. “For us, it was a no-brainer.”
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
