Arizona Now Has 6 Cases Of Coronavirus
As of late Monday, Arizona had six cases of coronavirus. Of those, two have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and four are presumptive positive, which means the CDC must still confirm.
Dr. Cara Christ, who oversees the state health department, described the risk to Arizonans as "heightened."
“You still do need to come into contact with somebody with COVID-19. I think now that it’s in the community that’s much more of a possibility than when it was just with those individuals that had traveled from Wuhan or from China," Christ said. “We would recommend taking those general respiratory illness precautions and act like everyone has it.”
She said the total number of Arizona cases could be similar to a flu season with tens of thousands. People most at risk are over the age of 60 with underlying health issues.
As the number of coronavirus cases in Arizona grows, Gov. Doug Ducey said public health is his top priority. During a news conference Monday, he said he will take action as the situation develops.
“There are different declarations that we can escalate at the appropriate time that allows us to make necessary decisions, to access state resources and, if necessary, federal resources. We’re not there at this time," Ducey said.
The state health department said Arizona could potentially see tens of thousands of cases, similar to the flu season. The newest case reported Monday is from Pima County where health officials said the person is not severely ill and is recovering at home in isolation.
Sky Harbor Airport reports two Canadian passengers who flew WestJet from Phoenix to Toronto on Feb. 28 have tested positive, and health officials are working to contact people who may have been exposed.
On March 15, Phoenix is scheduled to host the Democratic National Committee’s presidential debate. In a statement to the media, Mayor Kate Gallego said various parties from government and public health are working with the DNC and others on precautions against the virus.
We understand that the fear felt by residents is real, which is why we want to ensure transparency and efficiency in the dissemination of information on this topic,” she said. “At this time, we are working with the understanding that the debate is moving forward as planned and taking proper safety precautions in the lead up to Sunday. Based on this information we will reassess daily what possible changes need to be made.”
