CDC: Masks, Business Restrictions Helped Control the Spread of COVID-19 in Arizona | Coronavirus

“After implementing these mitigations, we have significantly reduced the number of cases in Arizona,” said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services and one of the authors of the report.

“Therefore, about 85-90% of the population needed masks and saw significant reductions after the closure of some of the high-risk activities and facilities,” Christ said on Friday.

Other health experts in Arizona said the report should serve as a “warning story” to other states.

Dr. Ross Goldberg, President of the Arizona Medical Association, said: Vice Chairman of Surgery, Valleywise Health Center.

Arizona, like most states, imposed a set of restrictions on travel and unnecessary services in March. However, Governor Doug Ducey overturned some local government attempts to close salons and spas and received criticism from some areas.

In May, the state began to relax many of these restrictions, leading to a crowded Memorial Day gathering where many blamed the surge in incidents that made Arizona a national hotspot for coronavirus infections.

As the number of COVID-19 cases in Arizona increased to thousands per day, counties and local governments around Arizona enforced masking obligations, and Duchy required companies to set up safety protocols. Within a few weeks, the rate of increase dropped sharply.

Christ now considers the case of Arizona to be “stable,” but other health professionals are worried that Arizonas will relax too quickly.

“It’s not time to take our feet off the gas,” Goldberg said.

Will Humble, secretary general of the Arizona Public Health Association, said the state could not recognize all of the turnaround achievements and noted more aggressive action by many of the state’s larger jurisdictions. ..

“Don’t tie up your local jurisdiction, as it can provide valuable interventions that can help slow the spread of such viruses,” said Humble. “If we find good evidence-based information about the epidemic of a disease during a pandemic, we read it and use it to inform our policies.”

Humble also emphasized the importance of compliance and home order enforcement, as well as rapid test turnaround times.

The report comes as the state has seen an increase in recent incidents. From October 2nd to October 9th, approximately 5,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Arizona, up from less than 4,000 cases last week. Goldberg said the recent hospitalization COVID-19 has increased.

Christ said that in order to continue the fight against the virus, the state should continue to promote safety measures such as wearing masks indoors and physically distanced as much as possible. With the flu season approaching and the holidays approaching, she says getting vaccinated against the flu and celebrating the holidays “safely” is the key to maintaining the trajectory of the current case. Told.

Goldberg said he recognizes that the need for continued vigilance “tires people.”

“People are fed up with it. They want to get back to normal. But they have to do this until they have a definitive cure or vaccine. It’s the best we have. It’s protection, it’s working, and it’s proven to work, “he said.

Mr Humble said health officials must also play their part to prevent this week’s rise from beginning the second wave.

“We know how responsive this virus is to policy changes,” Humble said. “It’s not fate. Whether or not we see a big surge this winter depends on the quality of the decisions made by the elected civil servants.”

Goldberg said Arizonas need to keep up with mitigation strategies to avoid the second wave.

“When you relax, you see spikes,” says Goldberg. “Unfortunately, very recently, there is a very clear example of what happens if you don’t follow these rules. All COVID needs are for one patient.”