With everything going on in the world, sometimes it is hard to remember that there is still a pandemic going on.

According to The New York Times, Arizona had an average of 940 cases a day last week and an increase in cases by 60% for the last two weeks.

“As of Tuesday morning, there have been at least 214,251 cases and 5,482 deaths in Arizona since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a New York Times database.” Maricopa County alone has had 140,006 total cases, 2,794 in the last seven days.

The number of new cases reported since the previous day in Arizona has been trending downward since the beginning of July.  Statistics show that on Sept. 8, that number went all the way down to 81, the lowest level since Mar. 23, but spiked back up to 1,753 one week later.  The two-day spike could perhaps have been a result of increased community spread during the Labor Day Holiday.

The Maricopa County website states.

“ After countywide mask requirements and additional statewide actions, we saw case numbers go down in July, reducing the burden on our healthcare system.”

The website statista shows that on Monday, Arizona was fifth among U.S. states with 2,940 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people.  Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama respectively, make up the top four.

The same website shows the United States has the largest number of coronavirus cases worldwide with 7 million.  India, with about 5.5 million, is second.

Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane removed the city’s mask mandate on Monday.

“When the original face covering order went into effect, our hospital system was in crisis,” Lane said in a statement announcing the action. “The alarming growth in cases across the county was pushing hospital capacity to the limit, and Scottsdale’s mask requirement was part of efforts in communities across the state to get that situation under control. It worked.”

Regardless of Lane’s actions, Scottsdale residents will reportedly still be required to wear facial coverings in all enclosed public areas and places where social distancing is not possible because of the requirements of a county mandate which supersedes the Mayor’s order.