Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) community levels have moved up and down in many Arizona counties over the past few weeks. The latest CDC update includes 10 counties, including Yavapai, with high COVID-19 community levels, according to the Arizona Department of Health. This means that wearing a mask is recommended in public indoor environments. Residents should stay up-to-date on the COVID-19 vaccine and get tested if they develop symptoms.
According to the CDC, an area is considered high community level if it has more than 200 news cases per 100,000 people in the past week. Yavapai County, with a population of 232,396 as of 2020, has reported 575 of his COVID-19 cases and six of his deaths since Wednesday, July 6, 2022, according to Yavapai County Community Health Services. I’m here. Since the pandemic began, the county has had 51,928 positive cases and 1,251 deaths.
Yavapai Regional Medical Center reported 23 COVID patients, VVMC reported 5 patients, and VA reported 5 patients. Anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or what looks like a bad cold should be tested for COVID-19.
Other counties with high COVID-19 community levels are Maricopa, Apache, Coconino, Gila, La Paz, Mojave, Navajo, Pinal and Yuma. While only three counties had high community levels the week before, he had nine counties with high community levels the week before.
These community levels reflect that COVID-19 is still active in Arizona communities and that residents need to act accordingly. AZDHS interim director Don Herrington explained earlier this week how Omicron’s subvariant BA.5 accounts for the rapidly increasing share of sequenced COVID-19 cases in Arizona. shared, and the evidence suggests that this subvariant is superior at circumventing the immune protection provided by vaccination or previous infections. Later, immunity may begin to decline.
These are one of the reasons why keeping vaccine protection up to date is so important. In May, unvaccinated people were eight times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 and more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who were fully vaccinated with a booster dose. 21 times higher. You can find providers of safe, free and effective vaccines and booster doses at azhealth.gov/FindVaccine.
Community-level and mitigation recommendations take into account: COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 7 days Impact of COVID-19 on local healthcare systems: (1) New hospitalizations due to COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants (7-day total). (2) Percentage of staffed hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (7-day average).
This week, most high-community-level counties saw more than 10 new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 inhabitants and more than 200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
With smaller populations and limited medical capacity, rural counties tend to see more frequent community-level fluctuations.
Whatever the community level in your area, it is always a good idea to assess your own risk and that of those around you when deciding on masks or other measures to limit the spread of infection. It is recommended. Older people and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious consequences from COVID-19. Washing your hands and staying home if you feel sick are other proven ways to limit the spread of the virus.
Information provided by the Arizona Department of Health and the Yavapai County Community Health Service.
