PHOENIX (AP) — With Arizona hospitals admitting increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients, the Department of Health Service has suspended some transfers of patients from other states.
Department spokeswoman Holly Poynter said Wednesday that out-of-state hospitals can still transfer patients into Arizona through direct hospital-to-hospital requests, but the use of the interstate Arizona Surge Line system was suspended until hospital occupancy drops again.
The department says virus-related hospitalizations had reached 2,217 as of Tuesday, including 531 in intensive care units. Arizona on Wednesday reported 3,982 additional known COVID-19 cases with nine more deaths, increasing the state’s totals to 310,850 cases and 6,524 deaths.
