AUDIO: Arizona nears milestone of 2 million COVID-19 cases

by Adnan Alam
  • Slug: Arizona reaches 2 million COVID -19 cases
  • Runtime: 1:56
  • Downloadable audio here. (Note: Some web browsers may not support media download)

BYLINE:  Thalia Lopez, Cronkite News 

Arizona’s COVID-19 cases are dropping even though a new variant is on the horizon. The state’s  first confirmed covid-19 case happened back in january 2020. Now two years later, Cronkite News Thalia Lopez reports the state is nearing a new COVID-19 milestone. 

———– 

 COVID CASES IN ARIZONA CONTINUE TO  DECREASE AS MORE VACCINE AND BOOSTER SHOTS ARE ADMINISTERED.  STILL ARIZONA HAS NEARLY REACHED  2 MILLION COVID-19 CASES SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN. JESSICA RIGLER, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE ARIZONA DE PARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES, SAYS THIS IS  NO SURPRISE. 

<Jessica Rigler/Assistant Director Arizona Department of Health>

“While this figure is astounding, it’s not out of the question that we would see this high number of cases just based on the fact we had a population that was completely vulnerable to a virus that hadn’t circulated prior.” (12 SECONDS)  

RIGLER SAYS IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ARIZONA WILL CONTINUE TO SEE PEAKS AND VALLEYS OF THE VIRUS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. SHE SAYS IT’S UNLIKELY THE VIRUS WILL COMPLETELY DISAPPEAR. 

<Jessica Rigler/Assistant Director Arizona Department of Health>

 “I think it’s likely that COVID will become endemic, I think it’s too early to say at this point that it is endemic just because there is no predictability related to what typical levels of the virus are the seasonality…” (13 SECONDS)

HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGING ARIZONANS TO GET THEIR VACCINES AND BOOSTERS TO HELP MINIMIZE THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS AS A NEW VARIANT APPEARS.  JOSHUA LABAER IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY’S BIODESIGN INSTITUTE. HE SAYS FIGURING OUT HOW TO ADDRESS COVID 19 MADE FOR A TOUGH START TO THE PANDEMIC.

<Joshua LaBear/Executive Director Biodesign Institute>

 “We all got a little bit fooled on this one, I think many of us thought that once the antibodies were induced by the vaccines, that things would get much better.” (10 SECONDS) 

LABAER SAYS REFINING THE VACCINES COULD MAKE THEM MORE EFFECTIVE TOWARD OTHER VARIANTS OF COVID-19. 

<Joshua LaBear/Executive Director Biodesign Institute>

 “The numbers continue to improve both in terms of case numbers and in terms of hospitalizations and emergency room visits. All those numbers are improving so that’s  encouraging.” (9 SECONDS)  

 MEANWHILE, THE NEW BA.2 VARIANT OF COVID 19 IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 35% OF NEW COVID 19 CASES IN THE US. SO FAR ABOUT 70% OF PEOPLE ARE  VACCINATED IN ARIZONA . 

THALIA LOPEZ, CRONKITE NEWS.