Arizona has the highest Covid-19 infection rate in the U.S. and is on the verge of running out of space in crowded hospitals, according to public health officials and hospitals.
The state beat a record new infections last week, with 11,324 in a single day. It has the highest per capita rate of new Covid-19 infections in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the highest rate of hospitalizations for Covid-19, according to Covid’s screening project.
On Monday, about 16% of Covid-19 tests in the state were positive, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, and health officials estimate that one in 10 residents is infected.
“We are the warmest place in the United States and one of the warmest in the world,” said Keith Frey, medical director of the Arizona division of the Dignity Health hospital chain. “If we don’t slow down over the next few days and weeks, we will be completely within that crisis zone.”
Frey spoke at a news conference on Wednesday, where the heads of Arizona’s biggest healthcare systems came together to express how dire the situation has become.