The state Department of Health Services reported another 5,859 cases of COVID-19 on Dec. 22 and 153 more deaths. More than 8,000 people have now died due to COVID-related illness in Arizona, just two weeks after the state surpassed 7,000 deaths.
The surge in the U.S. continues as Europe faces a new, more contagious strain of the virus identified in the U.K. Public health experts are still encouraging people to get a COVID-19 vaccine if they can; the variant is likely unable to evade the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines currently being distributed.
The House and Senate each approved a $900 billion stimulus package Dec. 21, aimed at helping individuals and businesses that have been hurt by the coronavirus pandemic.
The measure includes $600 checks, a boost to unemployment insurance, money for broadband, vaccine distribution and rental assistance, among many other provisions.
For more about how this will impact Arizona and Arizonans, The Show spoke with George Hammond, director of the Economic and Business Research Center in the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona.
