Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, is imploring Arizonans to remain vigilant against the spread of the pathogen as another wave of coronavirus appears to be hitting the state.

"We are seeing concerning increases in the number of inpatient and ICU beds in use, and the COVID-like illness metric," Christ said, "indicating increased visits to the emergency room and admissions to the hospital for COVID-19 throughout Arizona.”

Christ reported on Friday the percentage of positive tests hit almost 12% the week of Nov. 15, the highest amount since July. All counties except Coconino, Gila and La Paz counties experienced over 10% positivity rates that week.

“Arizona and the rest of the country are seeing significant community spread of COVID-19. And the holidays have the potential to further increase the spread," Christ said. “The phenomenon some call COVID fatigue is real, and it's dangerous. To protect everyone, we have to stay committed to our prevention efforts even as a vaccine becomes a reality.”

In a video address posted Friday, Christ listed tips for keeping holiday gatherings safe by limiting them to a small number of people and staying outdoors in fresh air, which can reduce the likelihood of disease transmission.

The state health department is working to get new COVID treatments to hospitals, but Christ said that it's not enough if everyone’s not being careful. To date, the Department of Health Services has received over 2,600 complaints about businesses not taking precautions against COVID. Christ said her department has followed up on nearly all of them, conducting more than 600 on-site inspections. 

Anybody can report businesses, restaurants or gyms not complying with COVID-19 mask mandates by calling the department's hotline at 844-410-2157 or visiting azhealth.gov/complianceCOVID19.