‘Fast and furious’: Phoenix doctors say Omicron not yet at peak

As hospital beds fill with patients, urgent care clinics temporarily close their doors and emergency department waits grow longer, Phoenix doctors are warning the public this most recent wave of COVID-19 has not yet reached its peak.

According to the Arizona COVID-19 sequencing dashboard, the more transmissible and contagious omicron variant is now the dominant strain of the coronavirus in Arizona. While not ever positive COVID case is sequenced, TGen said it has identified approximately 2,259 cases of Omicron thus far — and counting.

At Banner Health, the state’s largest health care system, providers are struggling to meet the immense demand with a challenged staff and dwindling resources.