By Chris Caraveo
Twitter: @ChrisCaraveo31

The novel coronavirus hit Arizona hard in June and July, but the state appears to be on the right track in several metrics.

From being among the states with the lowest R-naught — which indicates the level of spread — to reduced hospitalizations, and bed and ventilator usage, Arizona officials have touted the state’s progress throughout August. And the state is nearing three full weeks with less than 1,000 daily new cases. However, keep in mind testing has been in less demand, according to officials from Sonora Quest and the Arizona Department and Health Services.

Around the state, counties have handled the crisis differently, with the level of spread varying and allowing certain places in those counties to operate earlier than others depending on adherence to guidelines.

The Daily Independent reached out to several health departments about the progress their counties have made during the pandemic. Most all counties have also shared plenty of information online as they seek constant communication with the residents they serve.

Over in Yavapai County, which as of Wednesday has 2,324 cases and 77 deaths, the chairman of the Board of Supervisors considered it very important to offer daily updates with messaging regarding COVID-19 symptoms, prevention and safety measures, testing opportunities, etc.

As cases increased, county officials offered updates two times a day and on weekends. The chairman also established a cooperators group which provided weekly and now bi-weekly updates to over 70 community leaders. They also established a local public information group to have a unified message, with public health at the forefront, as well as participating in the State Joint Information Center’s daily calls.

“The rise in cases in our county can be attributed to relaxing of the Executive Order to #StayHome.StayHealthy.StayConnected before Memorial Day, 4th of July events, as well as to outbreaks in congregate settings,” stated Terri Farneti, public health coordinator of the Yavapai County Community Health Services. “The lower rise in cases than other counties may be due to better adherence to the recommendations such as staying at home more often, staying home when sick, wearing a mask when you can’t physically distance, handwashing and more.”

As cases have increased, more businesses are mandating masks and it seems more people are wearing them, Ms. Farneti stated. Some mayors mandated masks in the county while some did not. It was not mandated at the county level but is strongly advised.

“We are seeing a high rate of mask wearing, and good adherence to other recommended practices that help to mitigate spread,” Ms. Farneti stated.

As of Wednesday, Yavapai County has one of the better case percentages — 6.3% of tests came back positive but testing of residents remains among the lowest — 15.6%. By comparison, Yuma County has tested a higher percentage of its residents than anywhere in the state — 31% — and has the fifth highest case percentage — 18.5%

“Our team contacted all clinics in the county and put together a list of testing sites, which is updated regularly and posted on our website,” Ms. Farneti stated. “The testing blitzes were quite successful in May hosted by Yavapai Regional Medical Center and Spectrum Healthcare. Verde Valley Medical Center offered drive-up testing until supplies were more necessary in the hospital. With all the news of the backlog in obtaining results, it may impact the number of people seeking testing, but if they are free and available — we hope many will take advantage of these blitzes.”

As Memorial Day and the Fourth of July came upon Arizona, concerns were that traveling would play a part in a potential spike in cases. But Ms. Farneti didn’t indicate any harms upon the county due to the holiday travels.

“With the events in town over Memorial Day, 4th of July — many people from the Valley escape the heat to visit our county,” she stated. “Residents have voiced their concerns, but tourism impacts businesses, bars and restaurants (while they were open) and the show went on. Many people came here for 4th of July weekend, and we have yet to see any increases in positive cases here as a result of the influx of tourists.”

Ms. Farneti said Yavapai County was quite steady in case counts until an outbreak at a local residential school with 123 cases in late April.

“Having informed and prepared leadership has been our county’s strength,” she stated. “We have had somewhat steady case increases through June and now a decrease in July, which has followed the same trajectory as other AZ counties, but at a much lesser extent. Possibly our counties’ rural nature, people’s adherence to recommendations, businesses doing their part to help enforce helpful rules (such as mask wearing), and people staying home when sick or getting tested early to know their status and stay home when they could be infectious.”

Over in Santa Cruz County, one of the least populous in Arizona, case rate per 100,000 would indicate a high level of spread — 5,876 as of Wednesday — but the county still has one of the lowest case counts in the state.

Shelly Jacobs, public health emergency preparedness officer at Santa Cruz County Health Services, is attributing the recent mask wearing requirement, education and more testing to the county’s drop in cases.

“I would say yes,” Ms. Jacobs stated on whether residents are adhering to guidelines. “With the number of cases dropping it shows that people are aware.

“We have had very good turn outs during the testing blitz’s [sic]. In June when we saw the spike in cases our local clinics, and the hospital was testing over a hundred cases a day. We don’t see a problem with people getting tested.”

One of the more interesting aspects of Santa Cruz County’s COVID-19 reporting is that officials there are publishing recoveries on its website. Statewide, the AZDHS has said it is not reporting recoveries, though it does report the number of cases discharged from hospitalization. Maricopa County, the largest in the state, is also not reporting recoveries.

As of Wednesday, of the 2,762 cases in Santa Cruz County, 1,924 have recovered, according to its website. There are also 57 deaths.

“The recovery number is important information to share,” Ms. Jacobs stated. “Residents see the total number of cases and deaths and don’t hear about recoveries. So it shows that residents who were positive are doing very well.”

Ms. Jacobs said the county is not currently experiencing any shortages in personal protective equipment. However, officials continue to request PPE through the AZDHS as needed.

The Daily Independent reached out to but have not heard back from officials with Greenlee County, where 58 cases have been reported — the lowest in the state. However, the county is the least populous with under 10,000 residents.

As more counties in Arizona begin to ease restrictions on which businesses can reopen, guidelines are in place for those places to follow. The AZDHS encourages anyone who notices a violation of state requirements to visit www.azhealth.gov/complianceCOVID19 or call 1-844-410-2157.

In addition, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health is partnering with ASU and Mayo Clinic to estimate how many people in the county have been infected with COVID-19 — beyond those who have tested positive — over 134,000 as of Wednesday. The project is called a serosurvey and involves collecting samples from volunteers in 29 local communities to better understand how many people have antibodies for COVID-19 in Maricopa County.

“This will help us determine how many people need to get vaccinated in Maricopa County once a vaccine is available and relax strategies for social distancing and masks recommendations,” said Marcy Flanagan executive director of MCDPH. “By conducting this serosurvey, we will have a better estimate of how many people throughout our county have the antibodies to COVID-19 and how many people need to be vaccinated to reach community immunity.”

Community immunity, also known as herd immunity, is when enough people in a population are immune to a disease so that the disease cannot spread efficiently.

Field teams plan to test 500 individuals and/or over 200 households. Anyone 6 and up can participate. If your home is selected, you will get a notice on your door between Sept. 12 and 20. Field teams will have official shirts from Maricopa County or ASU, as well as badges to identify themselves. They will set up tents outside, so refrain from letting anyone into your home. They will then collect small blood samples from people in your household who are willing to participate.

The blood samples will then be sent to the Mayo Clinic with a code only. The sample and other personal information will be destroyed once testing are obtained.

Visit https://www.maricopa.gov/5607/COVID-19-Serosurvey for more information.