Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said on Sunday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) refused to help despite the soaring numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths. To add, there is also a shortage of coronavirus testing resources in the city.

Gallego appeared on ABC's "This Week" where the mayor said she felt the U.S. had already declared victory against the virus while her city was still suffering from the crisis.

In a later interview, the Phoenix mayor said she had been trying to get more testing resources for the city since April. However, both FEMA and the private sector ignored her pleas.

The city is now facing a shortage of testing, mostly affecting individuals who did not have health insurance, as reported by the New York Times. Some people wait nearly half the day to get tested for the virus.

An aide to the mayor said the federal agency had responded to the request by claiming it was "getting out of the testing business." Officials from Maricopa County reportedly received the same response when they asked FEMA for help.

An official from the White House reached out to Gallego following the interview to gather more information and present possible options to resolve the state's need for testing supplies.

Increasing Rate of Positives

During the Sunday interview, Gallego said more than 20 percent of all tests in the state of Arizona are coming back positive. Cases have also doubled in recent weeks.

On Sunday, health officials announced more than 3,500 newly confirmed cases. Arizona also reached another record number of virus hospitalizations with over 3,182 patients confined in medical institutions across the state.

According to the state's health department, the state has seen 98,089 coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Maricopa County has reported 62,296 cases.

Phoenix Mayor Gallego said she believes the sudden surge in cases in the state of Arizona may be linked to reopening the economy too quickly. She also blamed the increase to packed nightclubs who refuse to require patrons to wear face masks.

Arizona was one of the last states to impose COVID-19 lockdown orders but became one of the first to begin reopening businesses.

Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey re-enforced stay-at-home orders at the end of June after health officials recorded an explosion of coronavirus cases in the state. Bars, theaters, gyms, and parks were ordered to shut down operations through July 27, AZ Central reported.

Data published by the Harvard Global Health Institute showed Arizona has the highest per-capita rate of new COVID-19 infections since the beginning of July. Out of every 100,000 residents, 49.9 test positive. Most patients involve residents aged 20 to 44.

According to a report published by the CDC, Arizona has one of the highest numbers of new virus infections reported over the past seven days. The state is only behind Florida, California, and Texas.

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