Arizona COVID-19 cumulative counts, Dec. 14
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Select regional and national coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic as of Friday, April 24. For more coverage, visit our resource page. This story may be updated.
Arizona reports 17 more deaths from coronavirus outbreak
AP, April 24
PHOENIX — Arizona health officials on Friday reported 17 additional deaths from the coronavirus outbreak, raising the statewide total to at least 266.
The additional deaths reported as of Friday by the Department of Health Services followed 62 deaths reported in the previous three days. The department reported 3,116 lab-confirmed cases as of Friday, up 276 from Thursday.
Officials said Thursday that the recent surge in reported fatalities likely resulted from a boost in cases weeks ago. They said the surge of deaths should slow because it often takes weeks for patients to die once hospitalized and because hospitalizations appeared to have leveled off.
Of the 266 deaths reported as of Friday, 120 were in Maricopa County and 74 were in Pima County.
ADHS Expands COVID-19 Testing To Anyone Suspecting Exposure
KJZZ, April 24
In an about-face, the Arizona Department of Health Services has announced that anyone thinking they have been exposed to COVID-19 can now get tested.
That runs counter to the department's policy to reserve tests strictly for Arizonans with a doctor's order or specific symptoms.
Citing private health labs and the University of Arizona, Director Dr. Cara Christ said the state now has sufficient supplies to test those who have been exposed.
Read more here.
Campaigning changes during pandemic
AZPM, April 24
Running for office does not begin on Election Day; it starts months in advance with a candidate getting their name out, collecting signatures to get on the ballot, and fundraising. But this year, candidates like Joe Ferguson, who is running for constable in Pima County, faced an additional challenge.
“In the early weeks of it before people were really taking COVID seriously or were really aware of it there really wasn’t a problem. We knocked on doors, people talked, it was pleasant, we had great conversations. By late February, we began to change our strategies,” said Ferguson.
Gov. Doug Ducey issued a stay-at-home order on March 30. But even before that things were slowing down: gatherings of ten or more people were discouraged, and schools were closed.
For candidates in down ticket races, like constable, meeting people is a key. The fact that social distancing is now a way of life makes this campaign season “uncharted territory,” according to Kate Kenski, a political communications professor at the University of Arizona.
Read more here.
AZ receives more federal money to fight pandemic
AZPM, April 24
Arizona will get an additional $12 million from the Centers for Disease Control to fight the coronavirus.
The state Department of Health Services announced the grant Thursday, which adds to $16 million the state already received from the CDC.
A statement said the money will go toward "identifying cases, contact tracing and follow up activities" related to the coronavirus outbreak. It's unclear whether whether that includes increased testing for COVID-19, something the governor and other officials say is needed in order get the pandemic under control.
Economic uncertainty continues during COVID-19 pandemic
AZPM, April 24
Federal stimulus checks began arriving in people's bank accounts last week. But many individuals and small businesses are still struggling as the economic impacts of the pandemic continue to grow. The $2 trillion federal CARES Act promised help for small businesses and displaced workers affected by the economic shutdown. But one month after the bill’s passage, some Arizonans reported that the promised help has not materialized.
For businesses not deemed essential, the last month has been tough.
Nicole Rivera and her husband own Apex Mixed Martial Arts in Tucson, where they teach judo, kickboxing, and jiu-jitsu. People join their gym because they want to compete or learn practical self-defense.
“So it actually has to work. So we have to charge more because we actually put a lot into our credentials,” Rivera said.
Due to the coronavirus, she has had to move her training online. Now, her business competes with countless free online workout videos. Rivera said she is losing members by the week.
Rivera said she has applied for both forms of business help provided in the CARES Act: the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans and the Paycheck Protection Program, a forgivable loan meant to help businesses keep people employed. But both programs quickly ran out of money. On Tuesday, Congress added nearly $500 billion dollars to them.
But so far Rivera has not received any financial assistance.
Hear more on today's episode of The Buzz.
New jobless benefits system to start up in Arizona mid-May
AP, April 24
PHOENIX — Arizona plans to have a new system that will begin working in mid-May to handle the surge of unemployment benefit claims resulting from the coronavirus outbreak’s partial shutdown of the state’s economy, including claimants not previously eligible.
The state Department of Economic Security said Friday it will use a private vendor, Geographic Solutions Inc., to develop the system. The department says the new system will begin processing applications the week of May 12, resulting in payment for eligible claimants that week.
Layoffs as parts of the economy collapsed or were shut down clogged the state’s existing benefits system. Nearly 420,000 Arizonans have filed for unemployment benefits in the past month.
Coronavirus will make wildlife season harder to fight
Arizona Daily Star, April 24
Wildfire season is coming and state fire officials expect complications dealing with outbreaks because of COVID-19.
State fire management officer John Truett said the pandemic will cut back their on-the-ground crews. According to the Arizona Daily Star, virus-caused limitations include a reduction of face-to-face contact needed to share information about wildfires.
A wet winter resulted in thicker grass in the region. That grass is expected to dry out and provide fuel for wildfires this season.
Lawyer: 4 Arizona death row inmates test positive for virus
AP, April 23
PHOENIX — Four death row prisoners have tested positive for the coronavirus and another five are showing symptoms at the Arizona prison with the most confirmed cases.
One of the ill inmates told The Associated Press that he and the others are being isolated in a dirty, cockroach-infested building. Arizona's first case on death row surfaced last week.
A federal public defender says three other condemned prisoners have since tested positive. They're housed at the prison in Florence, which accounts for 22 of the 34 cases in state prisons. It houses the 114 men who are sentenced to die in Arizona. Corrections officials declined to comment.
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