PHOENIX – In a letter sent to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Arizona’s leading health care doctors are calling for more to be done to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Leading doctors and hospital leaders who have been battling the 16-hospital COVID-19 pandemic came together to call on Ducey to “institute proven, applicable and improved mitigation efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.”
The letter indicates that the statewide spread of COVID-19 continues to be severe and, with new coronavirus variants arriving in the U.S., they see an increase in ICU-admitted patients.
“Clearly, these patients are sicker and more dying from the virus,” the doctors said in the letter.
“Our resources are depleted and we struggle to manage the continuous waves of new patients we see every day. There is a significant concern that this will negatively affect our ability to provide routine and necessary care to our patients. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that there have been many mixed messages and misinformation, especially on social media, which have confused the public and eroded their confidence in public health, ”the letter states.
The letter asks Ducey to make the following efforts, “without any order of particular importance.”
- Continue to aggressively expand access to the vaccine.
- Continue to increase staffing and help retain staff in Arizona.
- Support outpatient strategies to decrease the number of patients in need of hospital care.
- Except for essential services, limit public meetings to a maximum of 25 people.
- Implement a statewide face-to-face coverage mandate that focuses on business compliance rather than people.
- Standardize our school’s approach to virus control to allow schools to remain open.
- Follow the CDC’s recommended testing and quarantine guidelines.
- Close bars and nightclubs and limit restaurant operations to outdoor dining service and takeaway service.
For the full letter, click here or read below: