PHOENIX (AP) – One of Arizona’s largest hospital systems renewed a call for vaccination Thursday, citing an increase in seriously ill COVID-19 patients in just a few weeks. Valleywise Health’s Michael White said those hospitalized for the virus “are overwhelmingly those who have chosen not to get vaccinated for whatever reason”. Now patients come acutely ill and not vaccinated. His main medical center in Phoenix currently has a dozen hospitalizations, and most of them are in intensive care. The more contagious Delta variant now likely has a stronger presence in Arizona, White said at a media briefing. White also advocated vaccination on behalf of his staff who he says are getting tired. “You’re tired of it,” said White. “We don’t need to see another big surge in our communities when we have this tool available.” Valleywise is also discussing vaccinating its 4,800 employees and 1,500 contract workers. Phoenix-based hospital chain Banner Health recently announced that all employees must be fully vaccinated by November 1 as a condition of employment. White said he expected a decision soon. Public health officials in Arizona reported another day on Thursday with more than 1,000 new cases. There are 1,174 newly confirmed cases and 10 deaths, according to the state dashboard. Since the pandemic began, the state has counted 912,653 cases and a total of 18,137 deaths. Hospital admissions also rose slightly to 868. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Arizona ranks 9th nationwide with the seven-day case rate per 100,000 people at 117.2. Meanwhile, the percentage of the state’s eligible population who have actually been at least partially vaccinated remains around 51%. To date, more than 6.7 million doses have been administered. Over 3.6 million have received at least one dose and over 3.3 million are fully vaccinated.
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