Tucson mayor has COVID; take-home tests now available at all county libraries

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said she has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms.

The announcement comes at a time when Pima County health officials said the county is experiencing high levels of COVID-19 in the community.

In a Facebook posting on Sunday, Romero said she is following the public health recommendations for dealing with COVID-19 and will be working from home for an undisclosed period of time.

“I encourage those in our community to get boosted and continue taking precautions and wearing a mask indoors,” she wrote in her social media accounts.

Pima County health officials said the county is experiencing high levels of COVID-19, and they recommend that masks be worn indoors in public spaces and also while riding on public transportation. As of Dec. 1, the average number of COVID-19 cases in the community was 222 cases per 100,000 people, a small decrease over the previous week, with just over 7% of the county’s hospital beds now occupied by COVID-19 patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Community transmission is considered high once cases go above 200 per 100,000 people.

The positivity rate is also high, 31.4%, and local hospitals are dealing with large numbers of flu and RSV cases at this time.

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Take-home tests free at libraries

The Pima County Health Department and the Pima County Public Library are expanding their COVID-19 test distribution program to include every open library location, starting Monday, Dec. 5, the county said in a news release.

The county has been distributing at-home test kits at 12 library locations since the beginning of September. About 52,000 tests have been distributed so far from those libraries.

“Expanding our distribution of free COVID-19 test kits is a vital part of our efforts to connect people with public health information and resources,” said Michelle Simon, deputy director of support services for the library.

The health department recommends getting two tests for each family member. The test kits will be available at tables inside each of the county’s 26 open libraries or at the service desk.