There is a lot of news regarding the coronavirus in Arizona.
In an effort to track the changes, 12 News has started a daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Thursday, April 23.
Major updates:
- There are now 5,769 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona as of Thursday morning.
- 249 people have died from the virus or complications related to the virus in Arizona, as of Thursday morning.
- The state does not record how many people have recovered.
- The testing criteria has been expanded. Scroll down for more.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code in Arizona.
Need to know:
- Here's the national live blog for Thursday, April 23
- Here’s how to get tested for coronavirus in Arizona
- Concern grows for people quarantined with abusers
- How to prepare for an unexpected hospitalization amid COVID-19 spread
There are now 5,769 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona, 249 deaths
There are now 5,769 people who have confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona, with 249 people who have died of coronavirus-related deaths, according to the state's latest numbers.
Cases are up from 5,549 confirmed cases on Wednesday with 229 deaths.
That's a one-day increase of 310 cases reported. It was also the third day in a row that more than 20 deaths have been reported in Arizona.
One week ago, there were 4,234 cases and 150 deaths in Arizona.
Pima County broke 1,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus on Thursday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 2,970
- Pima: 1,026
- Pinal: 303
- Coconino: 372
- Navajo: 564
- Apache: 268
- Mohave: 69
- La Paz: 6
- Yuma: 39
- Graham: 4
- Cochise: 31
- Santa Cruz: 28
- Yavapai: 75
- Gila: 12
- Greenlee: 2
Maricopa County remains the county with the highest number of confirmed cases, but the numbers varied between the state and county health departments.
The state marked Maricopa County as having 2,970 cases, but the county said it had 2,963 cases as of Thursday.
There have been 115 people in Maricopa County who have died from the coronavirus. Five-hundred and fifty people are hospitalized in the county with coronavirus and 166 are in intensive care units.
As of Thursday, there have been 58,697 tests administered throughout Arizona, with 2,096 reported on Thursday alone. Of those 58,697 tests, 9% have been positive.
There is a week and a day until Gov. Doug Ducey's stay-at-home order expires. It was not immediately known whether it would let it expire, extend it or modify it.
Arizona releases ZIP code locations of coronavirus cases, other data
The Arizona Department of Health Services has released expanded data points regarding coronavirus cases in the state.
The AZDHS website now features the location of confirmed cases in Arizona by zip code.
You can see the current ZIP code map below and can find yours by clicking around or searching for your ZIP code in the top right of the map.
According to the Arizona health department, the majority of cases in the state are among 20-44 year olds, with 2,138 cases.
The next highest age group was was 60-plus, with 1,413 people.
White, non-Hispanic people make up the highest number of coronavirus cases, with 32% of cases.
Hispanic or Latino people make up 17% of cases, with Native Americans making up 13% of cases.
However, there is still a lot of unknown information. The state health department said race and ethnicity is "unknown" in 31% of cases.
Females make up the highest number of cases, with 53% of cases.
Seventy-one percent of people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 do not have a chronic medical condition and 57% of people are not high-risk.
When it comes to the death statistics, Maricopa County has the highest number of recorded deaths with 115.
There are 70 deaths in Pima County and 32 in Coconino County.
There are four counties -- Mohave, Yavapai, La Paz and Yuma -- with three or less recorded deaths.
There are five counties with zero recorded deaths: Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Cochise and Santa Cruz.
Men make up the majority of deaths in the state, with 58%. People over the age of 65 also make up the majority of deaths, with 187. White, non-Hispanic people make up 51% of deaths.
3 more deaths, 78 more cases on the Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation announced 78 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths on Thursday.
In total, 1,360 people have tested positive and 52 people have died since the outbreak started.
Nearly 6,500 people tested negative for the virus.
Chicanos Por La Causa's PPP loan request ignored
The Latino advocacy group Chicanos Por La Causa says a Maricopa County agency denied its request to fund loans for small businesses under the Paycheck Protection Program
The low-interest, easily forgiven loans allow small businesses to pay employees, rent, utilities and other bills.
CPLC's mission-driven division and SBA-approved lender, CPLC Prestamos, applied to the Maricopa County Industrial Development Authority for $10 million.
CPLC said in a blog post that the $10 million loan would have supported up to 154 local businesses with an average loan of $65,000.
The request was the only item on the IDA's board meeting on April 22, but it went ignored, CPLC says.
Data from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which runs PPP through local banks, appears to confirm suspicions that larger firms are first in line for the loans.
Arizona health officials expand testing requirements
The Arizona Department of Health Services expanded the criteria for testing to anyone who thinks they have been exposed to and could be infected with COVID-19.
Previously, only anyone who was identified as high-risk and those with symptoms could get tested.
Arizona health officials have partnered with laboratories, such as Sonora Quest Laboratories, TGen, and the University of Arizona, to provide additional funding to increase their lab capacity.
Health officials have also sent out messaging to labs statewide to remove any restrictions on testing if they have adequate testing supplies and PPE.
They have also distributed 15 rapid testing machines throughout the state to provide results within 15 minutes.
Arizona to receive $12.4 million in federal funding
Arizona will receive $12.4 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the public health response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Arizona health officials will work with local public health departments to enhance and implement statewide plans to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Key funding priorities will include identifying cases, contact tracing and follow up activities, improving morbidity and mortality surveillance, enhancing laboratory testing, and protecting and monitoring the health of our healthcare system.
Navajo Nation working with New York for supplies
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez announced a collaboration with New York state for additional medical supplies Thursday.
In a conversation between Nez and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the two noted difficulty getting supplies from the federal government and agreed to trade anything the nation or state could spare.
The nation will first be sending latex gloves to New York in exchange for miscellaneous items in short supply within the Navajo Nation.
Both New York and the Navajo Nation face the highest per capita rates of COVID-19 in the U.S.
Nez says 49 people have died on the reservation from coronavirus, as of Thursday.
Scottsdale church delivers 750 masks for shelter
Pinnacle Presbyterian Church donated more than 750 sewn masks this week to the UMOM shelter in Phoenix.
The church delivered more than 750 face masks, enough for every woman at UMOM’s women’s emergency shelter and masks for every member of every family at the family emergency shelter.
“Like everyone else across the country, we’ve been trying to secure face masks for weeks to no avail,” said James Dutcher, UMOM’s Director of Facilities.
Starbucks extends free coffee offer through May
Starbucks announced it will extend its offer of free brewed coffee to first responders and front-line health care workers across the U.S. and Canada through May 31.
The initiative was first launched March 25 and since then, employees have served more than 1 million cups of free coffee.
Any customer who identifies as a first responder or front-line worker supporting the health care industry will receive a tall, brewed hot or iced coffee at no charge.
That includes police officers, firefighters, paramedics, doctors, nurses, hospital and medical staff and medical researchers.
COVID-19 is believed to be primarily spread through coughs or sneezes.
It may be possible for the virus to spread by touching a surface or object with the virus and then a person touching their mouth, nose or eyes, but this is not thought to be the main method of spread, the CDC says.
You should consult your doctor if you traveled to an area currently affected by COVID-19 and feel sick with fever, cough or difficulty breathing.
There is no vaccine for the coronavirus, so the best way to prevent COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases is to:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
You can text FACTS to 602-444-1212 to receive more information on the coronavirus and to ask questions.
