News of the funding comes as Arizona reports 43 new confirmed COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday.
The Arizona Department of Health Services announced Tuesday the state has received $150 million in federal funds to help with the coronavirus response.
The money from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is in addition to two $28.6 million grants the state was given in previous months.
“The response to the COVID-19 outbreak is the top priority of ADHS and these funds will help us expand several critical aspects including testing, contact tracing, and disease surveillance,” ADHS Director Dr. Cara Christ said in a press release. “This additional funding will support the critical needs of Arizona public health departments as we work with our partners to augment activities to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19.”
Testing and contact tracing have become increasingly important now that the state has allowed businesses to begin reopening.
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The agency reported a total of 227,099 tests have been administered in the state, with 6,487 new tests reported Wednesday. However, the ADHS dashboard does not provide statistics on contact tracing.
As more people re-enter public life, cases and deaths continue to rise. ADHS reported 331 new cases Wednesday, bringing the state’s total to 14,897.
And, the state’s death toll jumped up by 43, coming to a total of 747.
Places where people are clustered together are also seeing COVID-19 continuing to spread. State prisons have reported that their number of cases has almost doubled in the past week, according to ABC 15.
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The TV station reported that there are now 145 inmate cases, compared to about 70 last week. There are also 67 staff members who have tested positive.
Part of the jump comes from an outbreak in the Yuma facility, which went from zero cases early last week to 39 as of now.
According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, 161 inmate tests are still pending.
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Jessica Swarner is an associate editor for The Copper Courier. She is an ASU alumna and previously worked at KTAR News 92.3 FM in Phoenix.
