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A2 UP FRONT
Friday 8 January 2021

In this Dec. 2, 2020, file photo, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey answers a question about the arrival of a COVID-19 vaccine in Arizona, while Arizona Department of Health
Services Director Dr. Cara Christ listens in Phoenix.
Associated Press

Continued from Front care. Their goal in my opin- Arizona have received the Health, the state's largest "I've never seen anything
Hospital administrators also ion is to vaccinate their vaccine, state health offi- hospital chain, said the un- like this in all the years I've
are pleading for the state way out of this," Humble cials said. controllable spread of the been part of health care,"
to take greater measures said. "Eventually it will work. Dr. Joshua LaBaer, direc- virus could be lessened if White said.
to curb the spread of the There's just goin to be a tor of the Biodesign Institute the government enforced More mitigation efforts in
virus. lot of dead people in the research center at Arizona mask requirements, barred early December would
After a stay-at-home order meantime." State University, called the indoor dinning and can- have likely helped with the
early in the pandemic was C.J. Karamargin, the gov- state "the hot spot of the celled large gatherings. surge hospitals are seeing
gradually lifted, the Re- ernor's spokesman, said the world right now." He be- People also need to wear now, he added.
publican governor has de- current number of cases lieves at least one in 10 masks and limit their con- Virus case numbers have
clined to reimpose restric- and deaths are "heart- people actually has the vi- tact to only those they live been trending upward
tions like neighboring Cali- breaking" but it's a phe- rus. with. since Arizona bars, night-
fornia, which also is seeing nomenon happening in "That means if you're at "We are not doing a good clubs and restaurants were
a surge in infections and other states even with strict the supermarket, there are job with this virus," Bessel allowed to fully reopen in
overwhelmed hospitals. stay-at-home orders. people around you who said of the state. "At this September, Humble said.
In Arizona, indoor dining "Faced with strict mitiga- have it but they may not time during the surge of the But travel and people
is allowed and gyms are tion measures in place and know it yet," LaBaer said. pandemic, we need addi- gathering for the holidays,
open at limited capacity, states that have few or min- "It's not a time where I tional mitigation. We need starting with Thanksgiving,
businesses that have been imal mitigation measures in would recommend people enforcement of those miti- was "gasoline that went
more restricted in many place all are experiencing spend time indoors with gation activities, and we onto the fire."
other states. the same thing," Karamar- people who are not their need everybody to do their A record 4,877 COVID-19
Ducey has rejected calls gin said. "The mitigation immediate family." own part." patients were occupying
from health care leaders to measures the state of Ari- The state also "without a Dr. Michael White, chief hospital beds as of Tues-
tighten restrictions, arguing zona put into place early doubt" will see more deaths clinical officer of Arizona's day, according to the state
it would cause people to on — they remain in place. than usual for the winter Valleywise Health said the coronavirus dashboard.
be out of work. He also dis- We urge every Arizonan to months, LaBaer said. Aside Phoenix-based health care The Department of Health
missed a proposal to have follow them." from COVID-19-related system has no intensive Services reported 127 ad-
all public schools go to vir- At the same time, the state deaths, people with other care beds available. Some ditional deaths and 7,206
tual learning for two weeks is working to ramp up vac- illnesses who hesitate to go patients waiting for beds new cases Wednesday,
after the holidays. cination distribution efforts, to the hospital are at risk. were being treated on gur- increasing the state's totals
"We have a governor and Karamargin added. More Dr. Marjorie Bessel, chief neys in the emergency de- to 574,680 cases and 9,444
health director who don't than 119,000 people in clinical officer of Banner partment. deaths.q