Arizona hospitals are buckling under the pressure of three coinciding surges in airborne illnesses COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This "tripledemic" is elevating the need to raise vaccination rates for both COVID and the flu, as vaccinations in key areas remain low.
While lower than last week, there were...
Arizona is finally entering a reprieve from COVID-19. Hospital bed use due to COVID-19 is currently at its lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic and Governor Doug Ducey took the opportunity to end the COVID-19-related state of emergency. Unfortunately, COVID-related deaths still continue and as of March 30, the Arizona...
In Tuesday's State of the Union Address, President Biden announced that "it's time for Americans to get back to work," and outlined new efforts to return the public to normal activities after two years of the pandemic related to COVID-19. The White House subsequently announced a "National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan," on Wednesday...
As the new year approaches, Arizona hospitals and healthcare professionals are gearing up for a new wave of COVID-19 patients to flood the intensive care units and emergency departments that have endured near-capacity numbers since the Delta variant took hold over the summer. Without respite from the prior wave and increased transmission...
On Tuesday, the Commonwealth Fund, an independent research non-profit focused on healthcare issues, published a study on the number of deaths and hospitalizations that were averted by the U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Program.
The study found that over a million additional deaths and ten million hospitalizations were prevented by the...
On Sundy, Arizona reported more than 3,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, two deaths and hospitalizations remain high. The state now totals 1,214,419 cases and 21,653 deaths. Only 60% of Arizonans have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 53.2% of the state is fully vaccinated, both well under national rates.
This information comes...
The COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for distribution in children as Pfizer now moves to request authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to recommend booster shots for all adults six months after vaccination. Meanwhile, the vaccine mandate has ruffled feathers of both big businesses and conservative leadership at the state...
On Wednesday, November 10, the state of Arizona reported 3,794 new cases of COVID-19 and 39 new dates related to COVID-19. The figures came after four straight days of case counts over 3,000, but do not represent a downward trend. This brings the state total of deaths related to COVID-19 to 21,525. Nearly 60% of eligible individuals have...
On October 20, there were 1,991 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Arizona and 47 new deaths. Of intensive care unit beds statewide, 9% are available and 28% of ICU beds are currently in use by COVID-19 patients.
This information comes from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) COVID-19 data dashboard.
ADHS did not add...
COVID-19 cases and deaths have now returned to levels not seen since last winter's surge, driven by the delta variant and vaccine hesitancy in many pockets of the U.S. In Arizona, on Wednesday, September 15, there were 2,432 new cases reported and 29 new deaths reported related to COVID-19.
Dr. Marjorie Bessel, Chief Medical Officer...
On September 7, 2021, there were 301,138 new recorded cases of COVID-19 in the United States. There were 2,226 COVID-19-related deaths. Of the total U.S. population, 63.2% have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
This information comes from the New York Times interactive COVID-19 data tracker.
Children and COVID-19
The...
Spending per beneficiary is growing faster in Medicare Advantage (MA) and private plans than traditional Medicare and Part D prescription drug plans, according to the MedPAC analysis.
Modern Healthcare reports that the spending disparity has experts concerned, considering that Medicare Advantage enrollment is surging, currently...
