PHOENIX — Dr. Joe Gerald from the University of Arizona's School of Public Health released a new report on COVID-19 transmission saying that the state was "all but locked in a major humanitarian crisis" ahead of Christmas and New Year's.
12 News reported on Gerald's last report, which stated that a humanitarian crisis was on the horizon. Now he claims, the state is officially there. His report shows that hospitals will overwhelm hospital capacity for care by Jan. 1.
In the previous report, Gerald said that the transmission rate was 390 per 100,000 residents. In the new report, the transmission rate jumped staggeringly to 567 per 100,000 residents.
Gerald suggests mitigation tactics like a statewide shelter-in-place order and mask mandate are needed to slow transmission and "hundreds of preventable deaths."
Hospital COVID-19 occupancy has exceeded last week's record and Gerald says it will break another next week.
Gerald says that deaths will exceed 500 per week by Christmas.
To keep yourself and family members protected, Gerald's report suggests wearing a mask in public, avoid social gatherings, maintain physical distance from people not from your household and avoid more than 15 minutes of contact in indoor spaces when physical distancing is inadequate and adherence to masks is low.
Follow Gerald's weekly reports here.
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