Latest Press Release – Vaccine Update | Latest ADHS Case Count
Please Read the Latest Press Release – Vaccine Update for current news. The WCH COVID-19 hotline remains open if you still have questions or concerns, please call (928-615-3570).
Those still wanting to receive the first dose of the vaccine need to visit podvaccine.azdhs.gov or call 1-844-542-8201 or dial 211 to register.
Click here to see the Moderna Vaccine Fact Sheet.
Wickenburg Community Hospital is a Critical Access Hospital that can, and has, taken care of COVID-19 patients.
Infection Prevention Guidelines:
• The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person between people who are in close contact with one another (within 6 feet). Using physical distancing strategies helps minimize that close contact where droplets can transmit disease.
• Wear masks in public settings to reduce the potential for spreading the disease. The Maricopa Mask Mandate continues to be in effect.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Stay at home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) and immediately throw the tissue in the trash and disinfect your hands.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Avoid congregating in groups. People at higher risk for severe illness include adults 65 or older and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions.
Symptoms and Severity:
Illness can be severe and require hospitalization, but most individuals recover by resting, drinking plenty of liquids, and taking pain and fever-reducing medications. These symptoms may appear 2–14 days after exposure and can include: fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, other less common symptoms include gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19, get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include: difficulty getting enough air, chest pain, change in alertness or responsiveness, bluish lips or face, rapid breathing.
*These symptom lists are not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
Primary Care – 928-668-1833 – Providers are available Monday – Friday 8am to 5pm. Telehealth Visits are also being offered.
Emergency Care – 928-684-5421 – Providers are available 24/7 – If you are experiencing an emergency please dial 911.
COVID-19 CONFIRMED CASES
As of November 24th, 2021 Arizona Department of Health Services confirms the following COVID-19 cases: (This is a rapidly-evolving situation and the risk assessment may change daily.)
- Reported for the State of Arizona today – 4,064 new cases and 36 new deaths – 9.8% Total Percent Positive.
- 789,760 individuals in Maricopa County – Increase of 2,383
- 31,816 individuals Yavapai County – Increase of 162
The Arizona Department of Health Services recently updated the COVID-19 Cases by Zip Code feature. Recent cases are defined as a (Positive Test) result within the last month.
To follow cases by zip code you can visit: Arizona Department of Health COVID-19 Cases by Zip Code
Arizona Community Spread: Widespread
Number of Cases in Arizona: 1,252,248
Number of Deaths in Arizona: 22,098
Changes occurred between November 23rd and November 24th;
**Updates to this page are made by 10am most business days; if you are in need of more information please visit Arizona Department of Health Services.
Latest Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Terrie Davidson
Community Relations Manager
Wickenburg Community Hospital
928-615-3570
wchca@wickhosp.com
WCH Public Health Update
August 20, 2021 ‐ Wickenburg, AZ – Wickenburg Community Hospital (WCH) shares that The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has officially signed off on a recommendation by an independent panel of 11 experts to allow people with weakened immune function to get a third dose of certain COVID-19 vaccines.
People who fall into this category are at higher risk of being hospitalized or dying if they get COVID-19. They are also more likely to transmit the infection. About 40% of vaccinated patients who are hospitalized with breakthrough cases are immunocompromised. Recent studies have shown that between one-third and one-half of immunocompromised people who didn’t develop antibodies after two doses of a vaccine do get some level of protection after a third dose. Even then, however, the protection immunocompromised people get from vaccines is not as robust as someone who has healthy immune function, and some panel members were concerned that a third dose might come with a false sense of security.
Vaccine boosters will be available to children as young as 12 who have had a Pfizer vaccine or those ages 18 and older who received the Moderna vaccine. Those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines would be eligible to get a booster shot 8 months after they received the second dose of those vaccines. Information on boosters for those who got the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine have not been cleared to get a second dose of any vaccine; more information will be forthcoming.
These third doses were not intended for people whose immune function had waned with age, such as elderly residents of long-term care facilities or people with chronic diseases like diabetes. These are intended for patients who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, in close consultation with their doctors, but that people who should qualify would include those:
- Receiving treatment for solid tumors or blood cancers
- Taking immunosuppressing medications after a solid organ transplant
- Within 2 years of receiving CAR-T therapy or a stem cell transplant
- Who have primary immunodeficiencies – rare genetic disorders that prevent the immune system from working properly
- Taking high-dose corticosteroids (more than 20 milligrams of or its equivalent daily), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, chemotherapy, TNF blockers, or other immunomodulating or immunosuppressing biologics
- With certain chronic medical conditions, such as or asplenia – living without a spleen
- Receiving dialysis
Tests to measure neutralizing antibodies are also not recommended before the shots are given because of differences in the types of tests used to measure these antibodies and the difficulty in interpreting them. It’s unclear right now what level of neutralizing antibodies is needed for protection.
Pfizer’s waning efficacy may have something to do with the fact that it uses a lower dosage than Moderna’s. Pfizer’s recommended dosing interval is also shorter – 3 weeks compared with 4 weeks for Moderna’s. Stretching the time between shots has been shown to boost vaccine effectiveness, she said. New data from the Mayo clinic, published ahead of peer review, also suggest that Pfizer’s protection may be fading more quickly than Moderna’s. In February, both shots were nearly 100% effective at preventing the SARS-CoV-2 infection, but by July, against Delta, Pfizer’s efficacy had dropped to somewhere between 13% and 62%, while Moderna’s was still effective at preventing infection between 58% and 87% of the time. In July, Pfizer’s was between 24% and 94% effective at preventing hospitalization with a COVID-19 infection and Moderna’s was between 33% and 96% effective at preventing hospitalization.
As of August 2, severe COVD-19 outcomes after vaccination are still very rare. Among 164 million fully vaccinated people in the United States there have been about 7,000 hospitalizations and 1,500 deaths; nearly three out of four of these have been in people over the age of 65.
WCH currently has a team working on how and when we will be able to have third vaccine doses available and will be releasing vaccine clinic information in the coming weeks. Those seeking the vaccine are encouraged to stay tuned to WCH’s website; wickhosp.com/coronavirus-news/ and social media platforms for vaccine availability announcements.
WCH Emergency Department and Community Clinics are able to screen symptomatic patients for COVID and carbon screen persons for travel. If you are in need of screening and it is not an emergency, please call the Community Hospital Clinic at 928-668-1833.
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Maricopa County Resources
Maricopa County CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19) updates are also available.
The CDC has great tools and information, please review below.