Pima County stocked up on PPE, ready for COVID-19 spike

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Health leaders in Pima County are bracing for another potential spike in COVID-19 cases.

According to the state health department, almost 600 new cases have been reported and 7.5 percent of tests in Pima County are coming back positive.

The Pima County Health Department said they’re not surprised by these numbers though.

In fact, they’ve been expecting a spike in cases for a while.

With the holidays taking place, officials know people will be gathering, causing cases to rise.

Plus, with the increase in testing, they know the numbers will increase.

So, they’ve been preparing for just that.

Health experts said this time around, we’ll see some differences, starting with the amount of personal protective equipment (PPE) available.

The health department said it’s been watching the numbers from the start and has been storing up extra PPE to prepare for something like this.

Of course, PPE won’t protect people alone.

One suggestion by health officials to help limit the exposure of COVID-19 during the holidays is having your holiday meals outdoors.

“If we practice our holidays as we have always done instead of our new normal, we probably will see an increase in the number of cases and will probably see it continue into our January month, and even February,” Deputy Director for the Pima County Health Department, Paula Mandel said.

Mandel added that delaying your holiday plans or hosting a virtual get together may be the best option till we’re in a more controllable state, meaning the number of cases has dropped.

Either way, health experts recommend ramping up safety practices.

They said washing your hands, wearing a mask, and social distancing are extremely important.

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