Pima County Now In Medium COVID-19 Risk Level

TUCSON, AZ — Pima County has moved into the medium or yellow community risk level for COVID-19, per Center for Disease Control and Prevention metrics, after many weeks in the green or low risk level. Many other counties in Arizona also moved from green to yellow on Friday as well.

The increased risk level is because of both a local rise in reported cases and an increase in hospitalizations.

"At this level, the CDC recommends that if you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions," the Pima County Health Department said in a Facebook post.

After omicron-variant fueled spike in COVID-19 cases in January, which peaked the week of Jan. 9 with 151,477 cases across the state, case counts kept falling until mid-April when they began to slowly increase again. The lowest weekly case count in Arizona so far this year was the week of April 3, with only 2,001 cases. By the week of May 29, the state's case count was back up to 13,607, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The week of Jan. 9, Pima County reported 18,347 cases, and its lowest weekly count was also the week of April 3, with 310 cases. By the week of May 22, Pima County's case count was up to 1,969, with a slight drop the week of May 29 to 1,868 cases. according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

“Being up to date on your COVID-19 vaccination reduces the chances of becoming infected and greatly decreases the chances of serious outcomes, such as hospitalization,” said Pima County Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen. “Free testing and treatment options are other important tools we have to protect ourselves and our community.”