The number of Arizonans with COVID-19 in hospital intensive care units is at its highest point in six months and the state's health care facilities are increasingly strained.

“I’m sure that it’s a combination of the delta variant, and the fact that kids are going back to school, and many of them are not wearing masks at this point, and the fact that there’s no vaccine available to them," Dr. Josh LaBaer with ASU's Biodesign Institute said.
→ Get The Latest News On COVID-19 In Arizona

Private businesses in Arizona are free to require that their workers be vaccinated against COVID-19, Attorney General Mark Brnovich has concluded. He said companies have right to make the same demand of customers.v But the attorney general, in a 40-page legal opinion issued Friday, said neither of those rights is absolute.
→ More Arizona Business News

Pima County is continuing to see a rise in new COVID-19 infections. “This is a very high number for us overall. Our number is approximately 168 cases per 100,000. This is [a significant increase] compared to where we were three to four weeks ago," said Dr. Theresa Cullen is the county’s health director.

COVID-19 cases are continuing to grow consistently, even as more Arizonans are getting vaccinated. And late next month, the federal government is expected to begin offering booster shots as a way of stopping the delta variant’s expansion in its tracks. In the meantime, researchers and scientists are doing their best to learn more.

The pandemic threw into sharp relief the mental health challenges faced by many populations in the U.S. One of the worst is kids.

Arizona is now averaging more than 2,700 new COVID-19 cases per day — more than four times what the state was reporting a month ago. As hospitalizations climb, hospitals are once again concerned over staffing shortages.
→ Get The Latest News On COVID-19 In Arizona

The Arizona Department of Health Services says more than 1,500 patients occupied Arizona emergency room beds as of Thursday. Wednesday’s high mark of 1,528 is the highest since the Arizona Department of Health Services began tracking occupancy at the start of the pandemic.

New research led by TGen in Phoenix describes early biological signs of Parkinson's disease. That knowledge could one day help scientists improve early diagnosis and treatment. The study also contributes to a large data trove for future investigation.