Community levels from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have moved up and down in many Arizona counties over the past few weeks. The latest CDC update has 10 counties, including Yavapai, with high COVID-19 community levels, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. This means masks are recommended for public indoor settings, residents should stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and get tested if they experience any symptoms.
According to the CDC, an area is considered to have a high community level if there are 200 or more news cases per 100,000 people in the past week. Yavapai County, with a population of 232,396 as of 2020, reports 575 COVID-19 cases and six deaths since Wednesday, July 6, 2022, according to Yavapai County Community Health Services. There have been 51,928 positive cases and 1,251 deaths in the county since the beginning of the pandemic.
Yavapai Regional Medical Center reported 23 COVID patients, VVMC reported five patients and the VA reported five patients. Anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or what seems to be a bad cold, should get tested for COVID-19.
The other counties with high COVID-19 community levels are Maricopa, Apache, Coconino, Gila, La Paz, Mohave, Navajo, Pinal and Yuma. Only three counties had high community levels during the prior week, while nine counties had high community levels the week before that.
These community levels reflect that COVID-19 remains active in Arizona communities and that residents should act accordingly. AZDHS interim director Don Herrington shared earlier this week how the Omicron subvariant BA.5 accounts for a rapidly growing share of sequenced COVID-19 cases in Arizona and that evidence suggests this subvariant is better at eluding immune protection offered by vaccination or previous infection. In addition, immunity may begin to wane over the months after the last infection or vaccination.
These are among the reasons why it’s so important to keep vaccine protection up to date. In May, unvaccinated individuals were eight times more likely to be hospitalized and 21 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who are fully vaccinated with a booster dose. You’ll find providers of safe, free and effective vaccines and booster doses at azhealth.gov/FindVaccine.
Community levels and mitigation recommendations take into account: COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 7 days; and COVID-19’s impact on the area’s health care system in terms of: (1) new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 residents (7-day total); and (2) the percentage of staffed inpatient beds used by COVID-19 patients (7-day average).
Most of the counties at high community levels this week saw 10 or more new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 residents combined with 200 or more cases per 100,000 residents.
Because of their smaller populations and more limited health care capacities, rural counties will tend to see more frequent swings in their community levels.
Whatever the community level is in your area, we recommend assessing your risk and the risk of those around you when deciding on masks and other steps that reduce the spread. Older people and those who have compromised immune systems are at greater risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. Keeping hands washed and staying home if you feel sick are other proven ways to reduce the spread.
Information provided by Arizona Department of Health Services and Yavapai County Community Health Services.
