Top Arizona health official warns of surging virus cases, hospitalizations
Nov 16, 2020, 4:45 AM | Updated: 7:59 am
PHOENIX — The state’s top health official is encouraged to see that the number of coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths in Arizona hasn’t increased by as much as the number of new cases reported daily, but she warns that may not last very long.
“The concerning thing is hospitalizations tend to follow about two weeks after we see increased cases, and then the deaths tend to follow weeks after that,” Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Friday.
Arizona’s COVID-19 cases are spiking to levels not seen since the summer. On Sunday, Arizona reported 2,383 new coronavirus cases, nearly double the number reported at the beginning of November.
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Meanwhile, the number of people who’ve died from COVID-19 has been steadily increasing.
According to tracking by the Associated Press shows the seven-day average of newly reported deaths in Arizona has been above 20 since the beginning of November. On Saturday, it was 21.86.
There has also been a steady rise in the number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital inpatients and those in ICU beds, but those numbers remain well below the pandemic highs recorded in July.
Christ said her department is “on high alert” as it monitors the increases.
“We are working with our hospitals to identify what they may need, what their resource needs are so that we can make sure that we are ready if the numbers do continue to increase,” she said.
Hospitals across Arizona have started to prepare for an uptick in COVID-19 patients. Banner Health last week said it was hiring more staff than it usually does during this time of year.
“During a typical winter, we need approximately 1,000 additional nurses to care for seasonal patient volume,” Banner Health said in a press release. “We expect that number to double due to COVID-19.”
Banner Health said it also has been training 900 team members from other units with the skills necessary to care for intensive care unit patients in case the ICU team becomes overwhelmed.
