The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 5,251 cases of COVID-19 and 208 deaths in the state, as of Tuesday, April 21. The Department said 55,152 tests for COVID-19 have been completed as of Tuesday in public and private labs in Arizona, and 8% of tests have come back positive for the virus.
The Department’s “data dashboard” was out of commission on Tuesday.
The Department announced the launch of the Arizona Surge Line, on Tuesday. The new service is a centralized statewide system designed to keep hospitals and regions of Arizona from being overwhelmed by facilitating COVID-19 patient admission, transfer, and discharge to appropriate levels of care.
“As we’ve learned from other states, it is critical to protect our healthcare system to ensure that no region of the state is overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients while another region’s hospitals remain empty and ready to serve,” said Dr. Cara Christ, Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. “Establishment of the Arizona Surge Line is a key initiative to protect Arizona patients and hospitals by making sure Arizonans are transferred to the right level of care at the right time for the best outcome. We greatly appreciate the leadership of our healthcare systems in Arizona who have come together to support this launch.”