COVID community level drops to low in most of Arizona, medium for 2 counties

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PHOENIX – The COVID-19 risk has fallen to the low range in all but two Arizona counties, according to Thursday’s update of community levels across the nation.

Yuma and La Paz counties in the southwest corner of the state, which had been classified as high since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced its COVID-19 community level system last month, moved into the medium range for the first time.

Approximately 250,000 people — about 3.5% of the state’s population — live in Yuma and La Paz counties.

NEW: Updated #COVID19 Community Levels as of March 17, 2022.
More than 99% of the U.S. population is in a location with a low or medium COVID-19 Community Level.
Find your COVID-19 Community Level: https://t.co/UZxX67a6M3 pic.twitter.com/tCMfHl6kzF

— CDC (@CDCgov) March 17, 2022

In last week’s report, Mohave was Arizona’s only county in the low range, while three counties (with Apache joining Yuma and La Paz) were high and the other 11 were medium.

Dr. Richard Carmona, Arizona’s top pandemic adviser and a former U.S. surgeon general, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Thursday the state is heading in the right direction but has room to improve, especially with vaccine booster rates among vulnerable populations.

“We’re still in a pandemic although it’s starting to drop off and the numbers are looking better, but we still have to be very careful,” Carmona said.

The conditions in Arizona reflect the situation nationwide. The CDC said the COVID level is low in areas where 93.7% of the population lives, while it’s medium for 5.8% and high for 0.5%.

A key element of the CDC guidance is that it’s considered safe for healthy people to go without face masks in public indoor spaces where the community level is medium or low, but not where it’s still high.

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