Arizona reported more than 2,600 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and no new known deaths as hospitalizations continue to climb.
The ongoing increase in cases and hospitalizations comes as Arizona's health system prepares for the pressures of a new COVID-19 wave with the situation worsening both statewide and nationally as Thanksgiving approaches on Thursday. Intensive care units across the state were at 90% occupancy on Monday.
A report released Thursday by Arizona State University predicts that current hospital capacity in Arizona will be exceeded in December.
"Additional emergency public health interventions will be necessary to control transmission and preserve healthcare capacity in Arizona," the report says. "Without additional public health measures, holiday gatherings are likely to cause 600-1,200 additional deaths from COVID-19 in Arizona by February 1 beyond current scenario death projections."