COVID19 in Arizona: Where Are We Now? 18 Months Later ...

Eighteen months ago the Arizona Legislature shut down due to the COVID19 pandemic and the governor's shelter in place order. Arizonans have traveled a rocky road since then. 

Throughout most of the pandemic, Arizona's government has been willing to sacrifice lives in order to hew faithfully to the right's anti-science ideology, which dovetails neatly with the "open for business" mantra. Pressure from the Chamber of Commerce, COVID deniers, and the Trump administration caused Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to jump the gun more than once and open the state up for business too soon. In the summer of 2020, Arizona was worst in the world for COVID19.

My guests today are Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association and former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, and Rep. Melody Hernandez, who is paramedic. Humble provides a brief overview of where Arizona has been and where we are now with the pandemic. He breaks down the history, the science, the policies, the politics, and the personalities. In contrast, as a frontline healthcare worker throughout the pandemic, Hernandez tells stories of tragedy, death and perseverance.

Time Stamp:
| Introduction 0:37
| Interview with Will Humble 1:28
| Arizona's COVID Story 2:13 
| Vaccine Rollout 12:17 
| COVID Deniers 13:23 
| COVID & the Schools 15:01
| Face Masks Make a Difference 19:01
| Current COVID Wave Hitting Vaccine Deniers 20:31 
| Some AZ Counties Hit Harder than Others 20:58 
| Comparing AZ to Other States 22:24
| Why Is AZ #7 in COVID Deaths? 25:03
| Federal & Corporate Mandates for Vaccines & Masks 27:43 
| Closing Comments for this Segment 29:15 
| Interview with Rep. Melody Hernandez 30:24
| Working as a Paramedic during COVID 31:02
| When Hospitals Get Full 32:33
| Delta Is a Pandemic of the Unvaccinated 33:30
| County Differences: Maricopa v Pinal 35:22
| So Much Death 38:49
| On the Job COVID Precautions 39:53 
| Gun Violence Increases as People Come Out 40:54
| Vaccines Save Lives 42:38