The Arizona Department of Health Services reported more than 6,000 new coronavirus infections and 54 new deaths Dec. 23, bringing the state past 8,000 fatalities since the pandemic began. More than 60% of Arizona’s COVID-19 cases have been identified in Maricopa County. Pima County has racked up the second-highest number of cases, with about 13% of the state’s total. But that doesn’t mean the current surge is strictly an urban issue. Residents in rural parts of the state may have less immediate access to emergency care or live in counties where mitigation measures aren’t being taken as seriously as they were early on.