Arizona Deemed 'Hot Spot Of The World' Amid Virus Surge

Five months after President Donald Trump hailed Arizona as a model for how it dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, public health experts warned that the state has become “the hot spot of the world.”

Some say health restrictions the governor has been hesitant to impose could have tamped down the crisis. State health officials reported Wednesday a triple-digit number of new virus-related deaths for the second day in a row and more than 7,200 daily cases, with hospitals strained by a record number of patients. The head of the Arizona Public Health Association predicts Arizona will soon look like Los Angeles, where a COVID-19 surge has created an oxygen shortage and ambulances being turned away.