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Arizona had the worst rate of COVID-19 diagnoses in the past week, with 1 in 107 people diagnosed with COVID-19 from January 6 through Wednesday, January 13.
The rate is calculated by dividing a state’s population by the number of new cases in the past week.
Arizona reported an additional 7,311 known COVID-19 cases and 182 additional deaths on Thursday, bringing the state’s total to 649,040 cases and 10,855 deaths.
The number of infections is believed to be much higher than what has been reported because many people have not been tested and studies suggest that people can get infected with the virus without feeling bad.
Arizona’s vaccination program was slow to get started, but officials said the first large state-run site, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, turned out to be a success – administering thousands of doses per day, officials said.
The State Farm Stadium vaccination site “was a game-changer,” Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, said in a statement.
Arizona is expanding its COVID-19 vaccination program with plans that include opening another state-run site in the Phoenix subway. The next vaccination site will open on February 1 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium near the Phoenix-Tempe line, and registration will begin Tuesday, the State Department of Health Services said.
Ducey’s administration also announced on Wednesday that people 65 and older from next week can sign up to be vaccinated, according to updated recommendations from federal health officials.
The Department of Health Services had previously cleared vaccines for those 75 and older, with younger groups to follow in later stages. Health officials said the latest change added about 750,000 people to the priority immunization list.
The state is allowing registrations for the 65-and-over group starting Tuesday, although counties can set their own prioritization rules based on the number of doses they have, officials said.
In other developments, the Department of Health Services said the state has activated a federal program to have 100 pharmacies provide vaccines over the next few weeks and ultimately increase the number to more than 800 outlets.
“As the federal government ships more vaccine doses to Arizona, we will soon have more vaccination sites and appointments available,” said Dr. Cara Christ, department director.
Arizona began its vaccination program with eligibility for frontline healthcare workers, emergency personnel, and residents and staff of long-term care facilities.
Eligibility was then expanded to include law enforcement personnel, educators, educators, and those 75 and older.
YAVAPAI COUNTY
Yavapai County Community Health Services (YCCHS) reported 211 new cases of COVID-19 and five other confirmed deaths overnight, according to a press release Thursday, January 14.
Since the start of the pandemic, the county has tested 88,943 residents with 14,517 positive cases, 5,743 recovered and 299 deaths.
YRMC West has 65 COVID-19 patients and YRMC East has 21 patients. The VVMC in Cottonwood reports 28 hospitalizations related to COVID-19. The Prescott VA reports eight COVID-19 patients.
See related article: Yavapai County Seeks to Secure Larger Vaccination Sites
LOCAL COVID-19 INFORMATION
• For information on the Yavapai County COVID-19 vaccine: https://www.yavapai.us/chs/Home/COVID-19/Vaccine.
• Yavapai Emergency Phone Bank for COVID-19 Info: 928-442-5103 – Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• For a COVID-19 test at the Yavapai Community Health Center, call 928-583-1000. For a flu shot, call 928-771-3122.
• COVID-19 information in Spanish: https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/es/covid-19/index.php#novel-coronavirus-home.
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