Ducey extends Arizona order for reporting data on COVID-19

PHOENIX (AP) — Gov. Doug Ducey is ordering Arizona hospitals, testing labs and other health care facilities to continue reporting detailed information about COVID-19 to the state so officials can gauge the spread of the coronavirus outbreak and availability of hospital beds and other resources.

Ducey on Wednesday issued an executive order that extends the so-called Enhanced Surveillance Advisory for 60 days as the state sees a renewed surge in COVID-19 cases amid increased testing positivity and a rising death toll.

The advisory was originally issued in March and it was revised in September to also include reporting of data on influenza.

Continued flow of data will provide state Department of Health Services officials “with the real-time information they need to make informed decisions and allocate critical resources while keeping the public informed,” Ducey said in a statement.

The department’s director, Dr. Cara Christ, said the reports provide data made available to the public through the department’s coronavirus dashboard.

The advisory has required hospitals and other facilities to report daily statistics on staff resources, ventilator availability, intensive care unit bed availability, inpatient bed availability and levels of personal protective equipment and medical supplies, while testing laboratories report results of all COVID-19 tests.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.