Arizona is slowly reopening, but hospitals in the state continue to see severely ill COVID-19 patients and providers are bracing for another surge.
Not only are health leaders preparing for a continuation of COVID-19 in Arizona and a possible surge of illness in the fall and winter, but they are also preparing for 2021, too.
Unless a vaccine is ready, more COVID-19 illnesses could show up next spring.
"My concern is that people might think that because the state is opening, that the virus has gone away. The virus is still here," said Dr. Marjorie Bessel, the chief clinical officer for Banner Health, which is the state's largest health system.
"We have more than 400 people hospitalized right now in our system who are either COVID positive or under suspicion. We have 100 people on ventilators in that same category.