Arizona COVID-19 cumulative counts, Dec. 14
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Select regional and national coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic as of Thursday, April 23. For more coverage, visit our resource page. This story may be updated.
Experts don't see sustained surge in virus deaths in Arizona
AP, April 23
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona health officials said Thursday a surge of deaths from the coronavirus this week is likely the result of a boost in cases weeks ago and should slow because hospitalizations appear to have leveled off.
The state counted 62 deaths in three days this week, a surge well above the average seen in recent weeks. But health officials said it was not an unexpected boost because it frequently takes several weeks for patients to die once they are hospitalized.
Also Thursday, state Health Director Dr. Cara Christ eased restrictions on testing that had been put in place weeks ago because of a shortage of supplies. She said in a blog post that anyone who thinks they have been exposed and possibly infected can now be tested.
The Department of Health Services reported 5,769 cases as of Thursday, an increase of 310 cases since Wednesday.
Second round of loans too little too late for Southern Arizona businesses
AZPM, April 23
For businesses deemed essential or not, the last month has been devastating to say the least.
Nicole Rivera applied for the Paycheck Protection Program as soon as she could for her mixed martial arts business in Tucson. Part of the $2 trillion CARES Act, the PPP offers forgivable loans for payroll and rent meant to help businesses keep people employed. But the program ran out of money in less than two weeks, and Rivera's application was frozen in the process.
She's not alone. The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted to add over $300 billion to the program, but interviews with local business owners, accountants and chambers of commerce reveal very little of the initial money made it to Southern Arizona. And for many who have been left to fend for themselves, the help is too little too late.
Spotting the difference between allergies and coronavirus
AZPM, April 23
It is springtime allergy season in Southern Arizona and experts say some of the respiratory issues it brings are like those of the novel coronavirus.
But they also note there are major differences.
Doctors say a high fever and a cough that comes from the lungs are symptoms of the coronavirus. Sneezing, a stuffy nose, and a cough that comes from a tickle in the throat are all signs of allergy season.
Doctors add eye symptoms are also an indicator of allergies versus coronavirus. People with allergies triggered by springtime pollen have itchy, watery eyes. Patients dealing with coronavirus have less eye discomfort and more digestive-related symptoms.
Wall construction puts border residents on edge
AZPM, April 23
Arizona residents have been under a stay-at-home order for nearly a month to help stop the spread of COVID-19. But some residents of border communities worry that continued construction of the president's wall is putting them at higher risk.
Maria Singleton’s home is just off Highway 85 in Ajo. The quiet border community normally has around 3,000 residents. But the wall project has changed that. The highway is usually dotted with tourists on their way across the border to Mexico or into the nearby Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
That traffic has stopped almost completely in the wake of COVID-19. But Singleton said that doesn’t mean the road is quiet.
Tucson Medical Center allows visitors at patient windows
AZPM, April 23
After nine days at the Tucson Medical Center, Homer “Pete” Cass received visitors, not through his hospital door, but at his window.
Rick Cass and his mother, Leanora “Beth” Cass, scheduled a “patio visit” through Pete’s nurse. Rick said the pair sat on the patio outside Pete’s room and called him. He said everyone was excited to see each other through the window.
“He was happy — a big smile. He sounded more positive probably than he has since he’s been in there, and it’s been nine days,” Rick said Wednesday about his dad, who is in his seventies. “It definitely uplifted his spirits a little bit.”
Judy Rich, the CEO and president of Tucson Medical Center, said 95% of the hospital’s patients are on the ground floor, which puts the hospital in a special position to offer these patio visits. She said they started by trying the visits in one unit and then expanded them to the rest of the hospital the week of April 12.
Navajo Nation sues for fair share of federal coronavirus aid funds
Fronteras Desk, April 23
The Navajo Nation makes up less than 5% of Arizona’s population, yet nearly a quarter of the state’s coronavirus infections are within the tribe.
Tribal leaders are suing the federal government for what they said is their fair share of coronavirus aid.
The Navajo Department of Health has confirmed 1,282 tribal members have tested positive for COVID-19 and 49 have died from it.
Tribal spokesman Jared Touchin said the tribe has spent $4 million from its own funds trying to defend against the disease.
Yet, funds, he said, are at a trickle from the multibillion-dollar Cures Act specifically designated for Native American tribes, and the tribe is waiting to hear whether it’s application is approved for a share of the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund.
Casino donates meals to hospital employees
VIEW LARGER Casino del Sol staff delivering approximately 400 meals to health care workers at Tucson Medical Center April 22. Casino del Sol has donated about 400 meals to employees at Tucson Medical Center.
Casino staff are not catering to their regular clientele due COVID-19 closures, so Casino del Sol decided to start distributing meals to five local hospitals. The casino owned by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe is providing meals to more than 3,000 health care workers across the Tucson area.
Casino del Sol also plans to feed the tribe’s police and fire departments. It’s hoping to re-open May 13.
US adds cameras at Mexico border despite drop in crossings
AP, April 23
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration has quietly added surveillance cameras at the U.S.-Mexico border in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The cameras and deployment of 540 more troops come despite a nine-month decline in apprehensions that indicate fewer people are crossing illegally. The Associated Press obtained internal military documents saying the Department of Defense personnel started manning 60 more mobile surveillance cameras this month in response to the COVID-19 outbreak at the request of the Department of Homeland Security.
A Customs and Border Protection spokesman says the reason for the additional cameras was rising coronavirus cases in Mexico. Mexico has a fraction of the number of infections that have been confirmed in the U.S.
$310B for small business loans likely spoken for, banks say
AP, April 23
NEW YORK (AP) — Banking industry groups say the more than $300 billion set aside to replenish the emergency loan program for small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic is likely already all spoken for.
Congress has approved an additional $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program. But banking groups say the volume of applications already sent to the Small Business Administration makes it likely that much, if not all, the money allotted will go to those already in the queue. It's not known if Congress would agree to a third round of funding.
Virus pushes US unemployment toward highest since Depression
AP, April 23
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. unemployment is swelling to levels last seen during the Great Depression, with 1 in 6 American workers thrown out of work by the coronavirus.
The government says more than 4.4 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. With jobless lines growing, the House passed a nearly $500 billion infusion of coronavirus spending to aid ailing businesses and hospitals. In all, about 26 million people have now filed for unemployment aid in the past five weeks.
That's more than live in the 10 biggest U.S. cities combined. President Donald Trump said the bill will help small businesses keep millions of workers on the payroll.
Deported immigrants sent through 'sanitation tunnels' in Mexico
Fronteras Desk, April 22
There’s growing concern in Mexico that migrants deported from the United States are bringing the coronavirus with them across the border. On Monday, 14 cases were confirmed at a migrant shelter in the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, where state officials say a migrant deported from Houston entered the shelter not knowing he was carrying the virus.
Now, authorities have are sending newly deported migrants through “sanitation tunnels” set up at the border in an attempt to stop the importation of the coronavirus from the U.S.
The plastic tunnels use misters to spray people inside with disinfectant. And they’ve popped up at hospitals, markets and plazas across Mexico as a way to disinfect people who might have come in contact with the virus.
But the country's top health official says they don't work.
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