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4 www.DesertMessenger.com April 15, 2020 • Birth • Obituary • Anniversary Place it FREE in the: Desert Messenger! 928-916-4235 Got something to share? FREE CLASSIFIEDS Desert Messenger offers FREE Classifi ed Ads! HERE'S THE SMALL PRINT: Items for sale under $1000. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Ga- rage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com New tool from AZ Health Dept. can show how many confirmed COVID-19 cases are in your neighborhood Corner of Moon Mt. & Cowell • Quartzsite • 928-927-5400 QUARTZSITE'S ONLY YEAR ROUND SALON Cheyanne, Debbi, Sheryl, Linda, Janna & Gayle ARE HERE FOR YOUR WE'RE OPEN YEAR ROUND! Hair, Nails, and Pedicure Services MON - FRI - SAT BY APPT Phoenix, AZ -- Sunday, April 12, 2020 Arizona Department of Health Services added data to the COVID-19 dashboard that includes addition- al information about cases and deaths, as well as information about the health of our healthcare system in Arizona. The dashboard now has case counts broken down by zip code and more detailed demographic infor- mation about cases and deaths in our state. Data about the capacity of our healthcare system in Arizona has also been added to the dashboard. Dashboard updates include tabs that show the demographic breakdown of cases including age, gender, and race or ethnicity, if known. A tab added to the dashboard today shows case counts by zip code, including the abil- ity to search for information within a specifi c zip code. Of note, zip codes where there are between one and ten COVID-19 positive individuals who have been identifi ed, the dashboard will show a numerical range, either 1-5 or 6-10, rather than an exact case count. This is to preserve anonym- ity within the data and protect the private health information of these patients. An additional tab on our dashboard has been added to better categorize fatalities associated with COVID-19, including age and gender. The data aligns with what has been seen in other jurisdictions, with a higher proportion of COVID-19 associated deaths in Arizona occurring in individuals over the age of 65. A critical note about all of the case data presented is that it only re- fl ects individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19. While public health and healthcare institutions continue to work to increase testing availability, the persistent limitations in supplies mean that not everyone who wants to be tested can be. In addition, we know that people can be infected and spread disease without showing symptoms. While physical distancing is occurring, people do not always remain isolated within their own zip code when conducting essential business. Finally, zip code counts include anyone in that zip code who has tested positive, whether their in- fection occurred two months ago and has resolved or two weeks ago and is still active. Thus, while zip code data is informative, it should not be used to determine whether or not residents of a particular zip code are or are not at risk of COVID-19. Healthcare System Data Multiple enhanced surveillance advisories ordered by Governor Ducey allow public health to better track the health of the healthcare system in Arizona. This includes data about the capacity and cur- rent utilization of emergency room beds, inpatient beds, ICU beds, and ventilators in hospitals throughout Arizona. This is data we are moni- toring closely as it shows us where we need to focus our efforts to in- crease capacity. The information is now posted on our dashboard and demonstrates that right now, there is capacity within our healthcare system to handle an increase in CO- VID-19 hospitalizations. Preparing our healthcare system for a potential surge in cases is a top public health priority because we have community spread COVID- 19 in all 15 counties in Arizona and we are expecting additional cases and deaths. To bolster Arizona's preparedness to handle a poten- tial surge in cases beyond current healthcare system capacity, Gover- nor Ducey issued executive orders requiring hospitals to increase their overall high acuity capacity by 50 percent and to postpone elective surgeries so that critical resources, such as personal protective equip- ment (PPE) and ventilators, can be conserved for the COVID response. We are also standing up alternate care sites around the state. This in- cludes reopening St. Luke's hospital in Phoenix and working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to as- sess locations for potential alternate care sites in Flagstaff, and Tucson, and Maricopa County. While the healthcare system data shows capacity for an increase in hos- pitalizations, public health is closely monitoring the extreme healthcare surge in other parts of the country and the world. The steps we are tak- ing are intended to prepare Arizona to rapidly react to a surge in hos- pitalizations that could overwhelm our healthcare system in its current state. We will continue to share ad- ditional data and are working on building out more data points, in- cluding information regarding out- breaks, PPE, and outcomes. We urge everyone to remain vigi- lant and follow Governor Ducey's "Stay Home. Stay Healthy. Stay Connected" order. Continuing to physically distance while also taking recommended prevention measures — wash your hands, avoid touching your face, stay home if you are un- well, consider wearing a cloth face covering when you cannot appro- priately physically distance — will keep Arizona headed in the right di- rection. We all need to do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. For the latest infor- mation about the Arizona response to COVID-19, please visit our web- site https://www.azdhs.gov/

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