On Tuesday, as the number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases continue to drop and officials struggle with large numbers of false positive tests in Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey issued yet another Executive Order. Ducey announced he is extending the Enhanced Surveillance Advisory for COVID-19.
Ducey is also adding new influenza reporting requirements for health care facilities.
RELATED ARTICLE: COVID-19 Retest Shows Some UofA Students Had False Positives
Last week, the University of Arizona Athletics Department spread fear far and wide when it reported a single-day high of positive COVID-19 test results for student-athletes. As it turns out, most of the results were actually false positives.
After realizing that the contact history reports of testing subjects did not support the positive test results,the medical director for Arizona Athletics requested additional testing of the samples.
According to the University, on Sept. 3, Arizona Athletics reported 13 positives for student-athletes. Upon rerun of those tests, only two athletes were found to have positive results.
In addition, 12 positive tests of non-athletes collected at Campus Health were rerun, and only eight remained positive.
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. Tuesday’s order extends the COVID-19 reporting requirements.
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.
Last week, Governor Ducey joined Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ and health care leaders representing hospitals, pharmacies, doctors, nurses, public health, universities and more to announce the state’s plan of action to increase influenza vaccination rates and urge Arizonans to get the flu shot.
Governor @dougducey – it’s time to rescind your emergency declaration. Let’s get back to normal. #ReOpenArizona #UnMaskArizona https://t.co/jamRfTlpG6
— Dr. Kelli Ward ?? (@kelliwardaz) September 7, 2020
