Arizona continues string of record COVID-19 hospitalizations; Yavapai County adds 201 cases, YRMC is 111% capacity

Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 19, reported another record number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations along with over 5,500 new known infections and a fourth straight day of triple-digit deaths due to the state's current coronavirus surge.

The Department of Health Services reported 5,560 additional known cases and 118 additional deaths, increasing the statewide totals to 448,231 cases and 7,937 deaths.

The 4,104 reported COVID-19-related hospitalizations as of Friday was the latest in a string of pandemic records started earlier this month. Before the current surge, the previous pandemic hospitalization record was 3,517 on July 13 during Arizona's summer surge.

According to the state's coronavirus dashboard, only 8% of all beds were available and not in use. Dignity Health-Yavapai Regional Medical Center stated Friday it was at 111% capacity on the West Campus, and 98% at East.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases rose over the past two weeks from 4,780.4 on Dec. 4 to 6,789.9 on Friday while the rolling average of daily new deaths nearly doubled from 42.4 to 82 statewide, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and The COVID Tracking Project.

LOCALLY

Yavapai County Community Health Services reported 176 new cases of COVID-19 and four deaths, according to a news release Friday morning, Dec. 18. YCCHS does not issue weekend reports; however, ADHS stated Yavapai saw 201 new cases and five more deaths, as of Saturday morning.

Yavapai County has cumulatively tested 75,104 residents with 9,150 positive cases, 3,202 recovered, and 172 deaths, as of Friday.

Many additional deaths have been reported and are being reviewed to determine if they are COVID-related, YCCHS stated.

On Friday, Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) West had 73 COVID-19 patients, while YRMC East was caring for 27 patients, YCCHS said. Verde Valley Medical Center reported 21 COVID-19 hospitalizations, and the Prescott VA reported 10 COVID-19 patients.

PROFESSIONALS

How can medical professionals who aren’t currently helping in the fight against COVID-19 make a difference? There are a few ways you can get involved.

In fact, right now Yavapai County is looking for health care professionals to volunteer for both medical and non-medical jobs.

Visit the AHDS website, https://esar-vhp.health.azdhs.gov/index.php, for information and register with the Arizona Emergency System for the advance registration of volunteer health professionals. You can select COVID-19 and any other categories you might want to help in.

With vaccines arriving in Yavapai County in the coming weeks and, if your facility wishes to receive vaccine, you need to onboard with ADHS.

Onboarding is not an instantaneous process. Both VFC and non-VFC providers who would like to administer future COVID-19 vaccines must complete the Pandemic Provider Onboarding survey forms. It will take AIPO time to add providers to ASIIS and review requirements. There is also training to learn how to order, receive, administer, documents and account for pandemic vaccines in ASIIS.

INFORMATION

• For a COVID-19 test at Community Health Center of Yavapai, call 928-583-1000. For a flu shot, call 928-771-3122.

• Yavapai Emergency Phone Bank for COVID Info: 928-442-5103 – Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• County COVID-19 Data, Testing Sites, School & Business Guidelines & Resources: http://www.yavapai.us/chs.

• COVID-19 information en español: https://www.azdhs.gov/preparedness/epidemiology-disease-control/infectious-disease-epidemiology/es/covid-19.


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