Summer is coming to a close and COVID-19 infection rates are on the rise as students are preparing to return to the classroom in Arizona — including unvaccinated young children.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) COVID-19 data dashboard, cases are up again with 17,249 new cases reported in the past week and 70 COVID-19 related deaths in Arizona.
Last Thursday, the Hertel Report’s Jim Hammond spoke to KJZZ about the health of Arizona’s healthcare system as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Hammond noted that there are two major systemic issues putting pressure on the state’s health systems — the healthcare workforce staffing shortage and the external pressures that providers face from payers and quality metric evaluations.
As Healthleaders Media notes, the relief proffered by the CARES Act was supportive for hospitals, but as federal relief funds have stopped flowing, many hospitals are now applying for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding to help with costs related to ongoing PPE equipment requirements and contract labor needs.
As students prepare to head back to the classroom after summer vacation, health experts warn that COVID-19 and vaccination practices among families could cause issues for the health of children in schools and their families at home. According to KOLD News 13, about 11 million children have missed out on routine vaccinations. From Pediatrician Sr. Sandy Herron with Tanque Verde Pediatrics:
It means we have to be on the lookout for measles and we have to be on the lookout for pertussis. We have to be on the lookout for chickenpox. Those kinds of things that, with a good vaccination rate, we largely do not see in our office.
Only 7% of parents of children aged 6 months to 5 years have gotten their child vaccinated against COVID-19 and 43% say they will definitely not give their child the vaccine, Inside Health Policy reports. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey, 10% of parents said they had immediate plans to get their child vaccinated, 27% said they would “wait and see” how it works for other children and 13% said they would only seek vaccination for their kids if it was required for school or childcare. Check out the Kaiser Family Foundation’s COVID-19 Monitor.
In Arizona school mask news, U.S. District Judge Steve Logan dismissed Governor Doug Ducey’s lawsuit that challenged the Biden administration’s demands that the state stop sending federal funding to schools that don’t have mask requirements or close due to COVID-19 outbreaks. According to the Associated Press, the judge said that a program that requires noncompliance with guidelines could worsen the pandemic, which would go against the intent of the funding.
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