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 Thursday, Aug. 27.
Major updates:
- There have been 200,139 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,929 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Thursday.
- 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 Thursday
There have been 200,139 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,929 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 199,459 cases and 4,896 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Wednesday.
A week ago, there were 196,280 cases and 4,684 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 27 de agosto
680 new cases, 33 new deaths reported Thursday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 680 new cases and 33 new deaths on Thursday.
The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 200,000 on Thursday. The state's total death toll also topped 4,900 on Thursday.
Arizona reached 100,000 coronavirus cases on July 6 and 50,000 cases on June 21. The state reached 4,000 coronavirus deaths on Aug. 6, 3,000 deaths on July 23, 2,000 on July 9 and 1,000 on June 5.
Arizona's Rt, pronounced r-naught, was at 0.84 as of Wednesday, down from 0.88 on Tuesday.
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 5,487 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.
Maricopa County allowed to reopen businesses
Maricopa County was among the counties in Arizona that met the benchmarks Thursday to reopen businesses that were once ordered to close their doors in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The business reopening status for Maricopa County was "moderate," meaning there were two consecutive weeks of 10 to 100 cases per every 100,000 people, a percent positivity between 5% and 10% and hospital visits for COVID-like illnesses in the region between 5% and 10%.
Salt River Tubing will not reopen this year
Salt River Tubing announced it will not reopen due to lack of personnel. There are only 16 days left in the tubing season.
"Due to the lack of certified and experienced SRTR personnel returning for duty, SRTR is unable to provide the quality service that meets our guest’s expectations and safely re-open on August 28th for the remaining 16 days of the tubing season," the company said in a statement.
City of Kingman extends face covering mandate
The City of Kingman announced Thursday the citywide requirement for masks to be worn in businesses will be in place until the end of the year to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The original face mask mandate went into effect on July 1 and was set to expire on August 30. It has been extended to December 31.
People ages six and over must wear a face covering whenever they are in an establishment that serves the public.
Businesses with employees who cannot maintain social distancing or work directly with the public must require employees to wear face coverings.
Businesses also have the right to refuse service to customers not wearing masks.
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Businesses in 3 Arizona counties could get the green light to reopen Thursday
Three major Arizona counties could meet state benchmarks for businesses to reopen after months of shutdowns.
The Arizona Department of Health Services says Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties are likely to qualify on Thursday.
RELATED: As Arizona businesses prepare to reopen, what is the state doing to prevent a virus resurgence?
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.
Starting August 27, 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.
RELATED: Arizona’s health department wants you to report businesses that don’t enforce safety requirements
Navajo Nation deaths increase by 4
The Navajo Department of Health reported 14 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and four more deaths.
The total number of COVID-19 positive cases is 9,597.
The total number of deaths has reached 498 as of Wednesday.
Reports indicate that 7,018 individuals have recovered from COVID-19 – this number is lower than previously reported due to an error reported by one health care facility.
93,135 COVID-19 tests have been administered.
Harkins to reopen all locations Friday
Harkins Theatres will reopen all its Arizona locations this week, the company announced.
The company said last week that just three theaters in the state were scheduled to reopen, but Harkins now says all Arizona locations will open Friday.
Harkins says they will enforce social distancing plans inside the theaters after reopening, and workers have made several health changes as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Free COVID-19 testing in Phoenix on Saturday
Another free COVID-19 testing event will take place from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday.
It'll be held at Grand Canyon University.
People will get results within 72 hours. No ID or insurance needed.
Nasal swab testing is available for children as young as 2 years.
Register now online or call 888-587-3647.
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 Thursday
There have been 200,139 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,929 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That is an increase from 199,459 cases and 4,896 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Wednesday.
There were 680 new cases reported on Thursday, an increase from the 187 new cases reported on Wednesday.
There were 33 new deaths reported on Thursday, a decrease from the 104 new deaths reported on Wednesday.
There were 5,487 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, 9,115 new tests were reported on Thursday, an increase from the 5,341 new tests reported on Wednesday.
There have been a total of 1,436,275 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Thursday.
11.7% of those tests have been positive as of Thursday, the same as Wednesday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 132,704
- Pima: 21,001
- Pinal: 9,435
- Coconino: 3,269
- Navajo: 5,546
- Apache: 3,323
- Mohave: 3,566
- La Paz: 498
- Yuma: 12,142
- Graham: 702
- Cochise: 1,805
- Santa Cruz: 2,718
- Yavapai: 2,277
- Gila: 1,095
- Greenlee: 58
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.
