Arizona COVID-19 cases: 7 days
Cases 762,145 | Deaths 13,124
On Monday, Feb. 1, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported 3,741 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths. Gov. Doug Ducey told CNN this weekend that the state is in danger of running out of vaccine doses and asked the Biden administration for more supply.
Virus variant challenge could mean more shots
AZPM
The emergence of new strains of COVID-19 is leading researchers to forecast a long fight ahead against the coronavirus.
University of Arizona molecular scientist Donata Vercelli studies cellular mutations. She says COVID-19 is a stubborn virus that can adapt to various attempts to eliminate it.
“So basically the virus wants to be a couple of steps ahead of us and the mutations are what allows the virus to do exactly that,” Vercelli said.
Doctors detected a coronavirus variant from South Africa in the United States for the first time last week, joining others first seen in Great Britain and Brazil. Vercelli says it is possible people will need an anti-COVID shot each year, similar to an annual flu shot, to guard against future infection.
Arizona reports more than 3,700 new COVID-19 cases, 4 deaths
AP
PHOENIX — Arizona health officials are reporting more than 3,700 new COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths.
The latest figures released Monday morning come as the state opens a second around-the-clock mass vaccination site at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Gov. Doug Ducey, appearing on CNN Sunday, said the state is poised to run out of vaccines. But officials are working with President Joe Biden’s administration.
Arizona now has seen more than 760,000 cases and over 13,000 deaths since the pandemic began. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s data tracker on Sunday showed Arizona continuing to lead the nation in average cases per capita over the last seven days.
Navajo Nation confirms 103 new COVID-19 cases, 4 more deaths
AP
WINDOW ROCK — Navajo Nation health officials have reported 103 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths. The latest numbers released Sunday raised the totals to 28,325 cases and 1,018 known deaths since the pandemic began.
The tribe extended its stay-at-home order with a revised nightly curfew to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Navajo Department of Health has identified 56 communities with uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus, down from 75 communities in recent weeks. The Navajo Nation also is lifting weekend lockdowns to allow more vaccination events.
The actions in the latest public health emergency order will run through at least Feb. 15.
USCIS Further Extends Certain Deadlines Due To Pandemic
Fronteras Desk
The pandemic caused the agency that runs the U.S. immigration system to make some of its deadlines more flexible, now extended through the end of March.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services weighs applications for benefits like green cards and naturalization. The agency can ask people for evidence that proves what they put on paper. Officials also send notices of plans to deny a person’s application or cancel their immigration status.
Due to the pandemic, Citizenship and Immigration Services will continue to consider what would normally be counted as late replies for those examples, and certain other forms. The extension counts so long as the agency gets the documents by 60 days after a denial was issued, or when a response was due.
New Acting Director Takes Over Immigration Court System
Fronteras Desk
The Biden administration’s interim pick to run the nation’s immigration court system started her new job Sunday.
A Justice Department biography for Jean King says she began working at the Executive Office for Immigration Review about 25 years ago.
King becoming acting director sparks optimism for good relations with leadership, said Dana Leigh Marks, executive vice president of the National Association of Immigration Judges.
King replaces James McHenry, who took over the Executive Office for Immigration Review in 2017.
Arizona regulators to weigh ban on trail cameras for hunting
AP
Arizona hunting regulators plan to consider banning motion-activated trail cameras for hunting.
The Arizona Daily Star reports that the Game and Fish Commission is set to vote in March on a proposed rule that would not take effect before 2022.
Supporters of a ban say animals can be deterred from using scarce water sources because so many people place and check on remote cameras. Opponents of a ban question whether it'd be enforceable.
The proposal wouldn't affect cameras used for scientific studies, wildlife viewing or other purposes unrelated to hunting.
Advocates push wide-ranging new Arizona school voucher bill
AP
PHOENIX — Advocates of using public money for private education are pushing a wide-ranging new school voucher program that would vastly expand Arizona’s current system.
The move comes just two years after state voters overwhelmingly rejected a universal voucher system.
The new proposal from Glendale Republican Sen. Paul Boyer would make all children attending schools with a high percentage of low-income families or who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches eligible for a voucher.
Public school advocates are trying to rally opposition to the plan, saying it is a clear rejection of the will of the voters when they rejected Proposition 305 in 2018 by a nearly 2-1 margin.
Arizona Republican Party chair rejects election audit call
AP
PHOENIX — Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward, who faces questions about her reelection, said the party lacks the structure to perform an audit of the election results, but said she welcomed input to improve future elections.
Ward said in a radio interview with KFYI that there were “no complaints" about the results. Republican committeeman Trey Terry told KTAR-FM on Friday that no one complained because the actual vote totals weren’t released until Thursday.
Sergio Arellano, a businessman who lost to Ward in a runoff election, asked for an audit of the results. He has yet to receive a response.
End of pandemic can't come soon enough for 2 Arizona towns
AP
PHOENIX — Some Arizona educators are hoping the arrival of vaccinations against COVID-19 marks the beginning of the end for the pandemic. That scenario can’t come soon enough for the residents of Hayden and Winkelman.
The small neighboring eastern Arizona towns have been pummeled by the coronavirus. The school district’s enrollment is now around 300 students, down from 520 a few decades ago.
The Arizona Republic reports that the towns’ residents have lost their neighbors since the pandemic began and teachers and school staff getting vaccinated say everyone knows someone who died.
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