PHOENIX — In an effort to track the changes with the coronavirus outbreak in Arizona, 12 News has started a daily live blog.
Here is the live blog for Friday, Aug. 21.
Major updates:
- There have been 196,899 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,688 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona 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.
- 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 196,899 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,688 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 196,280 cases and 4,684 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
A week ago, there were 191,721 cases and 4,423 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 21 de agosto: 619 casos nuevos y 4 decesos se reportan el viernes
619 new cases, 4 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 619 new cases and four new deaths on Friday.
The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases neared 197,000. The state's total death toll also neared 4,700 on Thursday.
Arizona reached 100,000 coronavirus cases on July 6 and 50,000 cases on June 21. The state reached 3,000 coronavirus deaths on July 23, 2,000 deaths on July 9 and 1,000 on June 5.
Arizona's Rt, pronounced r-naught, was at 0.83 as of Thursday, one of the lowest in the nation.
The Rt is essentially a mathematical number that shows whether more people are becoming infected or less.
The concern is that any Rt over 1, no matter how small, means the virus may grow exponentially.
There were 5,485 cases reported on the collection date of June 29, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 17, when 95 people died. That is subject to change.
Health officials continued to stress that people should continue social distancing, wearing masks in public and stay home when possible.
Arizona educators urge Gov. Ducey to create statewide classroom plan
The Arizona Education Association issued a statement on Friday urging Gov. Doug Ducey to create a statewide plan for reopening classrooms.
"It is time for you to act in the best interests of our children and their educators. Arizona needs a statewide plan regarding school safety," the statement read in part.
Ducey is allowing school districts to create their own plans for reopening to cater to local area needs. Some districts have already reopened, but with some pushback from staff.
AZDHS has created a guidance plan for reopening classrooms. Districts can choose to reopen even if they don't meet the state recommendations.
Arizona clears 2 counties to partially reopen schools
State health officials say COVID-19 conditions in Arizona have improved to the point where it is safe for two rural counties to reopen schools for partial in-person learning.
The counties given the green light are Apache and Yavapai.
The state health department says its earlier statement that Cochise and Coconino counties were OK to open was incorrect.
Prescott in Yavapai County and St. Johns in Apache County are among the large communities affected along with many smaller communities.
The state’s other 13 counties, including Maricopa, which includes Phoenix, and Pima, where Tucson is located, still haven't cleared benchmarks based on case numbers, testing positivity and hospital visits.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 3 recent deaths
The Navajo Department of Health reported 19 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and three recent deaths.
The total number of COVID-19 positive cases is 9,519.
The total number of deaths has reached 487 as of Thursday.
Reports indicate that 6,996 individuals have recovered from COVID-19.
90,304 COVID-19 tests have been administered.
Free COVID-19 drive-thru testing event to be held Saturday
The Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission announced that it would hold a free antibody and COVID-19 drive-thru testing event.
The event would be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 15100 N. 78th Way in Scottsdale.
Reservations are required. It is free for individuals with or without insurance, but if you do not have insurance, the CARES Act requires a social security number.
Testing for COVID-19 takes approximately one minute per person and is administered as a nasal swab. Results are normally received within two to five days.
The antibody test takes approximately 10 minutes per person and is administered as a finger prick. Results are immediate.
Phoenix launches mobile COVID-19 testing van
The city of Phoenix launched a mobile COVID-19 testing van in an effort to bring free testing to underserved communities.
The van will offer viral and antibody tests, which will be administered by Vincere Cancer Care’s medical staff.
The van will be available from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. five days a week, except Wednesdays and Sundays.
Testing will be available to everyone but appointments are required. If available, insurance information will be requested, but is not required to get tested.
You can schedule an appointment here.
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) 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 196,899 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,688 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That is an increase from 196,280 cases and 4,684 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Thursday.
There were 619 new cases reported on Friday, a decrease from the 723 new cases reported on Thursday.
There were four new deaths reported on Friday, a decrease from the 50 new deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 5,485 cases reported on the collection date of June 29, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 17, when 95 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 11,263 new tests were reported on Friday, an increase from the 8,567 new tests reported on Thursday.
There have been a total of 1,383,616 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday.
11.9% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, the same as Thursday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 131,166
- Pima: 20,171
- Pinal: 9,107
- Coconino: 3,222
- Navajo: 5,489
- Apache: 3,283
- Mohave: 3,468
- La Paz: 495
- Yuma: 12,009
- Graham: 651
- Cochise: 1,780
- Santa Cruz: 2,718
- Yavapai: 2,221
- Gila: 1,060
- Greenlee: 57
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.
There is no vaccine for the coronavirus, so 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.
