TOPLINE
Texas has again reported a higher number of hospitalizations for coronavirus than at any point since the pandemic began, as a coronavirus rise continues in the nation’s second largest state, while a spike in Arizona keeps getting more significant—that state again set a record for hospitalizations Wednesday as the number of hospital beds in use has now risen to 85%.
HOUSTON, TEXASMAY 6, 2020While working at the COVID unit, nurse Tanna Ingraham has been staying … [+] overnight at the hospital and more recently a hotel so as not to expose her two young daughters and her mother, who is immunocompromised. In Houston, Texas at United Memorial Medical Center, Dr. Joseph Varon leads a team of nurses and medical students in the Covid-19 unit. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
KEY FACTS
There were 2,793 patients hospitalized for coronavirus Wednesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, setting a new record for the sixth consecutive day, which has now had a record high for hospitalizations nine out of the past 10 days.
In Arizona, the state Department of Health Services reported Wednesday that there were 1,582 patients hospitalized, setting a new record for a second-straight day in a month where cases have spiked rapidly; Wednesday’s hospitalization count was over 62% higher than any single day’s hospitalization total before the start of June.
But while both states keep setting hospitalization records, the outlook for a continued spike is different in the two states.
The amount of available beds in Texas has actually continued to increase, with the state reporting 13,815 beds not in use on Wednesday.
Arizona keeps inching closer to capacity, though, reporting a new high Wednesday of 85% of beds in use; Gov. Doug Ducey has said the state could potentially surge hospital capacity, but that is “not needed or necessary right now.”
Texas was one of the fastest states to reopen, and restaurants are now allowed to seat at 75% of normal capacity, while Arizona began its reopening in mid-May at a time when health experts warned the state wasn’t seeing the decrease in cases it needed to start opening back up.
KEY BACKGROUND
In addition to the spike in hospitalizations, other metrics—such as new cases and the percentage of tests coming back positive—haves also been on the rise in Texas and Arizona, and both states reported a single-day record for new cases on Tuesday. But like many states with Republican governors, both Texas and Arizona were aggressive in their reopening, and now show no interest in reversing course even though there’s been a spike in cases.
TANGENT
In both states, there’s also been a controversy around the issue of wearing masks. Abbott and Ducey both say face masks should be worn in public, but so far neither has made any sort of mandate that masks actually have to be worn in public.
But there’s been plenty of pushback. In Arizona, Ducey received a letter from hundreds of health care workers asking the governor to enforce mask wearing in public. Ducey’s office acknowledged receiving the letter and said that “everyone should wear a face covering,” but didn’t note anything about a mandate.
In Texas, Gov. Abbott said at a news conference Tuesday that everyone should wear a mask in public, but he doesn’t feel that not wearing one should be treated as some sort of criminal activity. A bipartisan group of mayors in the state recently sent a letter to Abbott asking for the governor to give local authorities the power to enforce mask-wearing.
FURTHER READING
Doctors Urge Arizona Gov. to Reverse Mask Policy as Coronavirus Cases Surge (Newsweek)
Texas Mayors Ask Governor Abbott To Be Able To Enforce Wearing Face Masks (Forbes)
Arizona Sets Record For New Coronavirus Cases—Tops Old Record By Almost 45% (Forbes)
