By Andrew Oxford | Arizona Republic
Gov. Doug Ducey sounded caution Tuesday about the spread of the coronavirus in Arizona as the number of reported cases of COVID-19, reported deaths and hospitalizations for COVID-19 patients continued to rise for a second week.
But the Republican governor disputed suggestions that he had ended the state’s stay-at-home order too soon and argued misinformation is driving growing alarm.
“We put the stay-at-home order in there so we could prepare for what we are going through right now and we are prepared,” he said.
Ducey argued that the state’s hospitals have adequate capacity to handle more cases of the coronavirus.
Still, the governor said Arizonans need to redouble their efforts on preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
Patients hospitalized with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 hit its highest number in Arizona on Wednesday, with 1,291 inpatient hospitalizations.
“This is not yet behind us, we’re navigating through this,” the governor said.
Later, Arizona is a COVID hotspot. Dr. Cara Christ, the state’s top public health official, said this: “We are not going to be able to stop the spread and so we can’t stop living as well.”
