Is Arizona experiencing a summer COVID-19 surge? Here's what we ...

Show Caption

Hide Caption

COVID: U.S. experiencing summer surge in cases

There is a new surge of COVID cases across the country, and health care providers are now working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fox - 10 Phoenix

Arizona does not appear to be experiencing the same summertime COVID-19 surge as other parts of the country and the world, but with school back in session that could change.

A summer wave of COVID-19 has been making headlines in neighboring California in recent weeks and is the worst summer spike since 2022, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday. The World Health Organization warned Aug. 6 that COVID-19 infections are surging worldwide and are unlikely to decline anytime soon.

Wastewater detection shows the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is at a "very high" activity level nationally, as well as in California and 26 other states, surveillance data for the week ending Aug. 9 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention show. And the region with the highest level of wastewater viral activity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the West.

The most recent wastewater surveillance data from the CDC shows Arizona is one of six states in the country where levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are "moderate." Officials with local health systems say outpatient and emergency room numbers for COVID-19 cases are stable.

While there was a slight increase in outpatient and emergency room visits for COVID-19 at the end of May and into June, the volume of visits over the last month has been flat and stable, according to Joan Ivaska, executive director of infection prevention at Banner Health, which is Arizona's largest health care delivery system.

"As has been the case the past couple of years, we anticipate a slightly higher volume of outpatient and emergency room visits (for COVID-19) over the next 45 to 60 days as schools start again," Ivaska told The Arizona Republic in an emailed statement. "We do not anticipate this resulting in a surge in hospitalizations."

Arizona's COVID-19 case numbers increased at the beginning of this summer, but the numbers have since come down, said Dr. Joel Terriquez, medical director of the bureau of infectious disease and immunization services for the Arizona Department of Health Services. Overall, COVID-19 case numbers are lower than this time last year and lower than the three-year average comparing to previous seasons, Terriquez said.

"I think that with travel, vacation, return to school, there is a chance that we could see again another small peak," Terriquez said. "That's definitely not off the table."

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health similarly saw a "small increase" in COVID-19 cases this summer starting in June, though the spike was lower than the increase in cases Maricopa County typically experiences in the fall and winter seasons, officials said.

Here are five things to know about COVID-19 in Arizona:

There's a time lag in publicly available COVID-19 case numbers

Arizona health officials have significantly scaled back the state's COVID-19 dashboard. The dashboard still includes case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths to date for the calendar year, but the current numbers are for a time period ending Aug. 3. The next update is scheduled for Aug. 21, Terriquez said.

The most recent data says that for the week ending Aug. 3, Arizona case numbers dropped by 14%, and they were up 21% over the prior month.

Arizona has more COVID-19 cases than what the state reports.

The state health department data shows 64,838 cases of COVID-19 reported through Aug. 3, but not all positive cases are reported, said Dr. Andrew Carroll, a family physician in Chandler.

"A lot of doctor's offices, mine included, are no longer regularly reporting positive cases," Carroll said.

Some people test positive at home and those results aren't typically included in case numbers. Also, since many people don't have serious symptoms, some don't test at all, Carroll said.

"I think we should always be vigilant. I'm about to get on a plane and I'll wear my mask when I'm on the plane," Carroll said.

Pockets of Arizona have experienced COVID-19 spikes in recent weeks

Carroll, the Chandler family physician, noticed a "big spike" in cases in his practice over the past month, which he in part attributes to the Chandler Unified School District's early back-to-school start date of July 17.

Other contributing factors to the increased caseload may be that COVID-19 vaccines people received nine months to a year ago are no longer effective, especially against newer strains of the virus, Carroll said. Anyone who has cold symptoms right now accompanied by a loss of taste and smell should assume they have COVID-19 because it most likely is, he added.

Carroll emphasized that people with respiratory symptoms like a cough and sore throat don't always have COVID-19. He's also seeing people with common colds, with strep throat and even a few with influenza, but none of the respiratory illness numbers are anything close to what he normally sees in December and January.

The Navajo Nation Department of Health issued a July 28 health advisory recommending the use of face masks in indoor spaces because of a "slight uptick of COVID cases on the Navajo Nation and across the U.S."

An updated COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be available in September

Updated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines are expected by mid-September. The Maricopa County Department of Public Health recommends residents get flu and COVID-19 vaccines by Halloween "to have solid protection by the holidays."

The CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available whether or not they have ever previously been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine. Updated COVID-19 vaccines will be available from Moderna, Novavax and Pfizer, CDC officials say.

Arizonans continue to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19

People are still getting seriously ill and dying from COVID-19, but not at the levels at the height of the pandemic.

Through Aug. 3 of this year, there have been 9,328 hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Arizona and 565 deaths, state data shows. People with compromised immune systems, underlying health conditions, and those who are elderly remain at highest risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19.

"If you are on chemotherapy, if you are on any medications for rheumatoid arthritis, if you have any autoimmune disease, make sure that you are taking proper precautions," Carroll said.

Ivaska of Banner Health recommends Arizonans practice "good respiratory etiquette" to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including staying home or keeping children home when they have respiratory symptoms and/or a fever until the fever has been gone for at least 24 hours without any medication and respiratory symptoms are improving,.

She also advises frequent handwashing and getting all vaccines when they are recommended.

Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or at 480-313-3775. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @stephanieinnes.