Arizona is having the highest rate of new coronavirus cases in the United States, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which shows an average of 121.8 new diseases per 100,000 people in the last seven days .
California is in second place, with a rate of 97.1 per 100,000, followed by Tennessee, South Carolina and Kansas.
Until Sunday, the state health department reported that only 7% of ICU beds remained available. At least 61% of the state’s ICU resources are being used on COVID-19 patients, while another 32% are being used to care for non-COVID-19 patients.
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In total, Arizona saw more than 561,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 9,000 deaths. According to its state health department, it is currently monitoring a positivity rate of 12.6%. Adults aged 20 to 44 years apparently transmit the virus faster in the state, accounting for almost half of all cases.
Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs on the left and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey jostle each other while meeting to certify election results for federal, state and legislative positions and state electoral measures in the official campaign in the Arizona Capitol on Monday, November 30, 2020.
According to the CDC, the state also lacks vaccine distribution, with only 66,000 of the 411,000 doses administered.
Late last month, Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order to accelerate vaccination efforts across the state. Initially, each county was authorized to formulate vaccination plans, but under the new order the state health department is directed to implement a state allocation model “to ensure a uniform approach”.
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“Across the country, news of delays in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine is being reported,” said Ducey in a statement published on December 30. “Although Arizona has avoided many of these problems, any delay in vaccines administered to Arizonans is unacceptable. The development of the vaccine was called Operation Warp Speed, and the distribution of the vaccine should follow the same sense of urgency. “
The order also noted that the state will begin reporting daily county vaccine administration data by county, and that local health departments must provide the state with 24-hour notice before moving on to the next phase of distribution.
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“Any delay in the vaccine to reach the Arizonans, any dose that stays in a freezer instead of reaching the arm of a health professional or long-term resident, comes at a very high cost,” said Ducey. “This is a health emergency, and we all need all levels of government and our health care system to work as such. Vaccines do no good in a freezer. ”