PHOENIX — Valleywise Health officials are "cautiously optimistic" Arizona is headed in a positive direction out of the coronavirus pandemic as hospitalizations for the illness continue to dwindle.
Dr. Michael White, Valleywise's chief clinical officer, said Wednesday they only had six COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment in its medical center and one COVID-19 patient in intensive care.
The lack of patients has allowed Valleywise to decommission one of the units that had been solely dedicated to treating COVID-19, White said during a press briefing.
The situation was much bleaker a couple of months ago when Valleywise reported having over 50 hospitalizations for COVID-19. The health provider said their current numbers are a positive sign that transmission of the virus is starting to wane.
But there's still an underlying presence of COVID-19 in the community, White added, so Valleywise continues to encourage residents to consider getting vaccinated.
"We need to continue to monitor things closely, certainly monitor the way that this virus continues to change," White said.
Wednesday marked the two-year anniversary from the day Valleywise Health admitted its first patient for COVID-19. White said this first patient underwent treatment for a few days and was successfully discharged home.
Over the last two years, Valleywise has treated nearly 16,000 patients for COVID-19.
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