PHOENIX — 12 News continues to track the changes with the coronavirus outbreak and vaccination efforts in Arizona with our daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Friday, April 23.
Major updates:
- There have been 857,347 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 17,238 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Friday.
- There have been 4,706,849 total vaccines administered as of Friday.
- The state does not record how many people have recovered, but Johns Hopkins University estimates the number of people who have recovered
- You can find COVID-19 testing sites here
- Go to 12News.com/Vaccine to find more information on the COVID-19 vaccines
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Friday
There have been 857,347 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 17,238 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state health department data.
That's an increase from the 856,451 confirmed cases and 17,221 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
A week ago, there were 852,570 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 17,153 deaths reported in Arizona.
VERSION EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 23 de abril: 896 nuevos casos, 17 muertes se reportan el viernes
896 new cases, 17 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 896 new cases and 17 new deaths on Friday.
Arizona has administered 4,706,849 total vaccines COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Friday.
The department reports the number of new cases on the day the cases were reported to them by counties and hospitals, not on the day when someone was diagnosed with the virus.
There were 12,433 cases reported on the collection date of Jan. 4, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Jan. 5, with 11,754 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 177 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 172 people died. That is subject to change.
Arizona reached 800,000 coronavirus cases on Feb. 17, 700,000 on Jan. 22, 600,000 on Jan. 9, 500,000 on Dec. 28, 400,000 on Dec. 12, 300,000 on Nov. 23, 200,000 on Aug. 27, 100,000 on July 6 and 50,000 cases on June 21.
The state reached 17,000 coronavirus deaths on April 7, 16,000 on March 2, 15,000 on Feb. 17, 14,000 on Feb. 6, 13,000 on Jan. 29, 12,000 on Jan. 22, 11,000 on Jan. 15, 10,000 on Jan. 9, 9,000 on Jan. 1, 8,000 on Dec. 22, 7,000 on Dec. 9, 6,000 on Nov. 3, 5,000 on Aug. 29, 4,000 on Aug. 6, 3,000 deaths on July 23, 2,000 on July 9 and 1,000 on June 5.
Health officials continued to stress that people should continue social distancing, wearing masks in public, and stay home when possible.
Arizona to move COVID-19 vaccination site from State Farm Stadium to Gila River Arena
The Arizona Department of Health Services will transition the COVID-19 vaccination site in the West Valley from State Farm Stadium to Gila River Arena.
The State Farm Stadium site is an outdoor, drive-thru location and the Gila River Arena site will be an indoor location.
The Gila River Arena COVID-19 vaccination site will open on Friday. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. It will have the capacity to administer 1,000 shots per hour.
The State Farm Stadium site will move to nighttime hours starting Monday to avoid heat and will stop all operations on the morning of April 23.
The State Farm Stadium site is currently the state's largest vaccination site and has been described as a “national model” by President Joe Biden.
“Arizona is so thankful to the Arizona Cardinals, Michael Bidwill and the Bidwill family, and all of the partners who stepped up to help make our first state-run vaccination site a national success,” Ducey said in a statement.
“This is a true team effort, and the mission to get Arizonans vaccinated continues with this new location.”
“This site will continue to be a national model for mass vaccination as we shift outdoor operations to indoor locations," Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said in a statement.
"Gila River Arena and city of Glendale, in partnership with ADHS and the Arizona Cardinals, are making it possible to continue vaccinating while the Glendale operation gets closer to administering 1 million doses.”
Anyone who wants to register for a vaccine at this new site can go online at podvaccine.azdhs.gov or call 844-542-8201 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Both resources offer assistance in English and Spanish.
ADHS to resume the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine
Dr. Cara Christ and the Arizona Department of Health Services has decided to resume the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the state.
The decision came after the CDC and FDA determined that clotting risk is low.
Dr. Cara Christ said in a statement:
“After recommending a pause out of an abundance of caution, we join our federal
partners in encouraging everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19 with the
vaccine available to you.
Arizonans can be confident that all COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use, including the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, have undergone a thorough review for safety and efficacy. The federal review will continue on all of the vaccines as more people are vaccinated.”
73K COVID-19 vaccination appointments to be made available at 11 am Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services will make more than 73,000 appointments at state-run COVID-19 vaccination sites available at 11 a.m. Friday.
The available appointments will be for April 26 through May 2, but officials say there are plenty of appointments currently available for this weekend.
Anyone can schedule an appointment online at podvaccine.azdhs.gov and between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. by calling 844.542.8201. Assistance is available in English and Spanish.
UArizona COVID-19 vaccination site now accepting walk-ins
Officials at the University of Arizona said walk-ins were being accepted at the COVID-19 vaccination site at the university's Tucson campus.
Anyone can show up to the POD without an appointment and be vaccinated. The site is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.
Anyone who would prefer to schedule an appointment can do so online at podvaccine.azdhs.gov or by calling 602-542-1000 or 844-542-8201 for help in English or Spanish.
The university will also stop its drive-thru clinic and move all vaccination operations inside the Gittings Building on May 3. May 2 will be the last day for drive-thru vaccinations.
GCU COVID-19 vaccination site to stop operations Monday
Grand Canyon University officials announced the final full day of operations for the university's COVID-19 vaccination site will be Monday.
The announcement was made Friday, as the state and county transition their vaccination sites to indoor locations.
The site first opened to the public on Jan. 26 and is expected to administer more than 115,000 vaccines in its three months of operations.
Navajo Nation: No COVID deaths for 11th time in past 12 days
The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported no COVID-19 related deaths for the 11th time in the past 12 days.
The tribe also reported 15 new confirmed coronavirus cases on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The latest numbers bring the Navajo Nation’s pandemic case total to 30,404 with the known death toll remaining at 1,263 after the death reported on Wednesday.
Tribal health officials said more than 16,500 people have recovered from COVID-19 thus far.
The tribe had been easing into reopening but that slowed somewhat after coronavirus variants were confirmed on the reservation.
Tribal officials urged residents to stay vigilant.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Here is the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines in Arizona
The Arizona Department of Health Services said more than 4.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Friday.
Who can get a COVID-19 vaccine?
The state and Maricopa and Pima counties have expanded vaccine eligibility to Arizonans 16 and older. Other counties are offering vaccines to people in Phase 1B. Gila County has extended vaccines to some people in Phase 1C and Mohave County opened vaccines to all adults. Learn more about the phases here.
How can I sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine?
You can sign up for a vaccine through the state here or find more information about finding up through the counties here.
Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine?
There are seven locations where the state is administering vaccines: Gila River Arena in Glendale, Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, WestWorld in Scottsdale, Dexcom in Mesa, University of Arizona's Tucson campus, Northern Arizona University's Union Fieldhouse and Yuma Civic Center in Yuma. All other locations are run through the individual counties or federal programs.
Where can I find more information on a COVID-19 vaccine?
You can find more vaccine information at 12News.com/Vaccine.
COVID-19 data dashboard now includes vaccine information
The Arizona Department of Health Services updated its COVID-19 data dashboard to include information including vaccination numbers and demographic data.
The new information can be found on the dashboard in the tab right next to the summary tab where daily coronavirus cases, deaths, and testing numbers are updated.
You can see the updated dashboard here.
Arizona health department sets up hotline to report businesses
The Arizona Department of Health Services has set up two ways for people to report local businesses that are not following COVID-19 guidelines.
People can report businesses through a hotline or through an online form:
- Submit a complaint online at www.azhealth.gov/complianceCOVID19
- Calling the COVID-19 Compliance Hotline at 1-844-410-2157
“There’s a role for the public as well: If you believe a business isn’t following these requirements, which were established for the safety of customers, employees, and the broader public, ADHS encourages you to share your concerns so local and state officials can follow up as needed,” AZDHS said in a statement.
Free masks available for some Arizonans
The Arizona Department of Health Services announced that some Arizonans would be able to get free masks from the state.
The department partnered with Hanes to provide free face masks to Arizona’s most vulnerable populations.
Anyone who is part of a vulnerable population (including, but not limited to, individuals with medical conditions or individuals age 65 or older), a student (or parents on behalf of students), school staff member or who may not be able to purchase one is able to get a free mask.
Each other will provide five washable, reusable cloth face masks, one order per household.
The department hopes to give out two million cloth face masks.
Anyone with questions can visit the department's FAQs page or contact Hanes at 1-800-503-6698.
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 here and can find yours by clicking around or searching for your ZIP code in the top right of the map.
More information on coronavirus cases from Friday
There have been 857,347 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 17,238 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 856,451 confirmed cases and 17,221 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 896 new coronavirus cases reported on Friday, an increase from the 647 new cases reported on Thursday.
There were 17 new coronavirus-related deaths reported on Friday, a decrease from the 22 new deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 12,433 cases reported on the collection date of Jan. 4, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Jan. 5, with 11,754 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 18, when 177 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 13, when 172 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 25,872 new diagnostic tests were reported on Friday, a decrease from the 29,929 new tests reported on Thursday.
There have been a total of 9,034,084 diagnostic tests reported to the state as of Friday.
10.5% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, down from 10.5% on Thursday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases reported in each county:
- Maricopa: 533,368
- Pima: 114,721
- Pinal: 50,906
- Coconino: 17,592
- Navajo: 16,127
- Apache: 11,294
- Mohave: 22,524
- La Paz: 2,452
- Yuma: 37,027
- Graham: 5,540
- Cochise: 11,863
- Santa Cruz: 7,911
- Yavapai: 18,586
- Gila: 6,867
- Greenlee: 569
Click on the links below to find more information from each county's health department:
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.
The best way to prevent COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases is to:
- Wear face coverings while in public.
- Practice social distancing while in public.
- 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.
Coronavirus facts you should know
See videos featuring the latest news about COVID-19, including doctor responses to questions about the coronavirus on our 12 News YouTube page here.