Arizona and COVID-19: Summer 2023
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Arizona and COVID-19: Summer 2023
Dr. Howard J. Eng
Associate Professor Emeritus in Public Health (retired)
It has been three and half years since COVID-19 first appears in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization and the Biden Administration have declared the COVID-19 global/United States public health emergency are over. Even with the change in emergency status, the virus is still with us. Unlike the previous three summer case surges, so far, this summer Arizona and Pima County have not had a surge, and the case numbers have been low (see Figures 1 and 2).
Figure 1. Arizona Weekly COVID-19 Cases: January 1, 2020 to July 15, 2023
Figure 2. Pima County Weekly COVID-19 Cases: February 1, 2020 to July 15, 2023
This is a good time to build up your immunity by improving your health. You should eat healthy, exercise regularly, stay hydrated -- drink plenty of water, enjoy the outdoors, reduce your stress, re-establish your support network, and get plenty of sleep/rest to build up your immune system.
Most cases are mild or moderate, and few cases are severe (require hospitalization and/or result in death). Arizona and Pima County four-week COVID case, hospitalization, and death numbers are shown on Tables 1 and 2.
There will be weekly case fluctuations, but the numbers of severe COVID-19 cases and deaths in Arizona and Pima County remain low because of the high level of population immunity, the availability of drugs in treating the virus, and most Omicron variant cases are mild or moderate.
Be safe, and stay healthy, calm, and positive.
