Rural hospitals and Western Arizona are seeing big increases, according to the latest federal numbers. Author: 12 News Updated: 3:45 PM MST December 23, 2020
PHOENIX Rural and western Arizona hospitals are bearing a heavier load of COVID patients than they have been, according to a 12 News analysis of the latest U.S. Health and Human Services data for every hospital in the state.
The data is a week-by-week look of average patient loads by each hospital in the country. Hospitals in Arizona s major urban centers Phoenix and Tucson have seen massive rises in average COVID-19 patient loads. Banner Estrella Medical Center in Phoenix, for instance, went from an average of 39.6 COVID patients the week of November 6 to an average of 125.1 the week of December 11.