Arizona to Track The Impact Of COVID-19 And Influenza On Health Care Capacity

As Arizona prepares for influenza season amid COVID-19, Governor Doug Ducey recently issued an Executive Order extending the Enhanced Surveillance Advisory for COVID-19 and adding new influenza reporting requirements for health care facilities.

Arizona’s Enhanced Surveillance Advisory, established by Executive Order 2020-13 in March, required hospitals, testing laboratories and other health care facilities to report detailed information about COVID-19 cases, health care capacity, and more. This most recent order extends the COVID-19 reporting requirements and further strengthens the ability of the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) to respond to COVID-19 during influenza season this year.

“COVID-19 and influenza season pose a dual threat to Arizona this year,” says Governor Ducey. “That’s why it is so important to get your flu shot and continue making responsible choices, such as masking up and staying physically distant. We are committed to keeping Arizonans healthy and safe throughout influenza season, and we will continue our state’s around-the-clock efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health.”

“Our team remains committed to doing everything we can to fight the spread of COVID-19,” says ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ. “The enhanced surveillance advisory has been critical to our awareness of COVID-19 in Arizona, allowing us to understand the situation throughout the state and respond effectively.”

To better understand and fight the spread of COVID-19, the advisory has required hospitals in Arizona to report daily statistics on staff resources, ventilator availability, intensive care unit (ICU) bed availability, inpatient bed availability, personal protective equipment (PPE) supply levels, medical supply levels, and more.

New reporting requirements for influenza include:
• Number of inpatient influenza positive patients or patients with suspected influenza;
• Number of ventilators in use by influenza positive patients or patients with suspected influenza;
• Number of ICU beds in use by influenza positive patients or patients with suspected influenza; and,
• Number of influenza positive patients or patients with suspected influenza seen in the emergency department per day.

Governor Ducey and Dr. Cara Christ urge Arizonans to get the flu shot. Information about COVID-19 in Arizona is updated daily on the ADHS Data Dashboard at azhealth.gov. For more information about COVID-19, visit azhealth.gov/COVID19. For more information about influenza, visit azhealth.gov/Flu.