In Arizona, scorching summer temperatures are causing additional problems for some residents waiting to get tested for Covid-19.
"There are people who are waiting in-line to get tested and are fainting, literally, while waiting to get a test. And they're coming to the ER, because ironically, they were waiting for a test and fainted," said Dr. Murtaza Akhter, an emergency physician with Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix, on Thursday.
Arizona hospitals are struggling to deal with the influx of Covid-19 patients, which Akhter, describes as a "clogged sink with the faucet still running."
"As long as the water is running, you still are at risk of flooding. And that's really the situation we're at right now in hospital settings where the sink is backing up with water, and we're hoping, 'Well, maybe if we'll turn the faucet down a little bit it'll be okay.' But really what we need is to unclog it for people to get healthier, to be less sick and to be able to come out of the ICU safely," said Akhter.
On Thursday, Arizona reported 3,259 new cases and 58 additional deaths. That brings the state's total to 134,613 cases.