ARIZONA, USA — Arizona could see daily COVID-19 cases and deaths be two to four times higher in the coming weeks, a recent University of Arizona COVID-19 report warned.
"Barring intervention, daily cases and fatalities will double or perhaps quadruple before the outbreak collapses under the weight of natural, not vaccine-induced, immunity later this spring," the most recent COVID-19 Disease Outbreak Outlook said.
The report listed multiple data points that show how the coronavirus in greatly impacting the state, including:
- Arizona is experiencing the fastest spread transmission in the nation
- New cases are being diagnosed at a rate of 780 cases per 100,000 residents, which is increasing by 220 cases per 100,000 residents per week
- The state is reporting more than 700 COVID-19 deaths per week and more than 100 COVID-19 deaths per day
"While Arizonans' poor individual decisions are undoubtedly contributing to viral spread, [Gov. Ducey's] inaction in the face of a clear and present danger is of greater concern," the report said.
The report asked the governor to implement a statewide shelter-in-place and a statewide mask mandate in order to slow transmission and mitigate overcrowding in the state's hospital system.
The state's COVID-19 test positivity rate is also continuing to see record-breaking numbers at 35%, far exceeding the numbers seen during the June/July case spike.
"This indicates a substantial mismatch between testing capacity and demand and supports the notion that viral transmission is growing faster than case counts alone would suggest," the report said.
"Our viral control measures are wholly inadequate and our testing capacity compared to other regions is poor."
You can read the full COVID-19 Disease Outbreak Outlook here.
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