U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva and four other Arizona Democrats signed a letter to Congress Wednesday calling for a massive COVID-19 testing blitz throughout the state of Arizona.
Arizona Representatives Ruben Gallego, Ann Kirkpatrick, Tom O'Halleran, and Greg Stanton joined Grijalva in a letter aimed at the Department of Health Services Secretary and the Federal Emergency Management Agency Acting Administrator.
“There’s no sugar-coating it, the response to COVID-19 in Arizona has been a failure on the part of the State and the White House, and nowhere is that more evident than in testing capacity,” Said Rep. Grijalva.
As of Wednesday 827,089, Arizona residents were tested for the virus. 11.4 percent of those tested in the state have tested positive according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
"Arizona is in the middle of a public health crisis and we urgently need a robust testing program to identify and then trace the virus in order to keep our communities safe," said Rep. Grijalva.
Cases of the virus surpassed 100,000 Tuesday. The state is now leading the nation in new daily cases per capita according to Rep. Grijalva.