In what seems to contradict the belief that the coronavirus doesn’t do well in hot environments, Arizona’s number of COVID-19 cases has been steadily increasing for the past two weeks, state officials report.

Banner Health, which runs several hospitals in the state, confirms the uptick in Arizona’s cases. “This trend is concerning to us,” a statement from the company reads. “It also correlates with a rise in cases that we are seeing in our hospital ICUs.”

Although Governor Doug Ducey has downplayed the spike, saying it was expected after he lifted coronavirus restrictions, some experts think Arizona is on the brink of a major outbreak. “I would go so far as to say alarming,” Harvard Professor William Hanage says of the state’s growing number of cases. “The only sort of crumb of comfort that I can find is that I think, in general, it’s sort of easier to social distance in Arizona than it is in some places.”

Source: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-health/2020/06/09/number-covid-19-going-up-arizona-increased-hospitalization/5328560002/