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. 6.
Major updates:
- There have been 183,647 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,002 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 183,647 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 4,002 coronavirus-related deaths, according to the state's latest numbers.
That is an increase from 182,203 cases and 3,932 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Wednesday.
A week ago, there were 170,798 cases and 3,626 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 6 de agosto
More than 1,400 new cases, 70 new deaths reported Thursday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported more than 1,400 new cases and 70 new deaths on Thursday.
It was the fifth straight day with more than 1,000 newly reported cases.
The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases topped 183,000 on Thursday. The state's total death toll topped 4,000 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 0.86 as of Wednesday, 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 5,473 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 days with the highest numbers of reported deaths was July 15 and 17, when 84 people died each day. 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.
Trump lauds Arizona as success of virus 'embers' strategy
President Donald Trump is lauding Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, pointing to the state as a model for the nation for handling “embers” of the coronavirus.
The state, like much of the Sun Belt region, began experiencing a severe spike in COVID-19 cases after Memorial Day, as aggressive reopening plans coincided with an increase in travel.
Trump met with Ducey at the White House as he sought to highlight the surge in government resources and personnel to the state once federal officials observed an uptick in Arizona’s test positivity rate — a critical early warning sign of spreading infection.
Ducey noted, “No celebration, no victory lap.”
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Maricopa County health officials say this isn't the time for in-person classes
The AZDHS released information regarding the reopening of schools for the fall. Local counties will be instructed for reopening depending on community spread markers. Arizona health director, Cara Christ said that based on the information available now, no Arizona county meets the criteria for reopening classrooms.
Despite county markers not reaching goals, Dr. Christ and Superintendent Kathy Hoffman have given the choice to reopen to individual districts.
Hoffman said, "Our state is simply not ready to have all our students and educators congregate in school facilities.”
Arizona Department of Corrections COVID-19 management strategy update
On Aug. 13, the Arizona Department of Corrections will be further extending the suspension of legal and non-legal visitation in all prison complexes. The extension will last until Sept. 13. The situation will continue to be re-evaluated on a month-by-month basis.
During the extension, CenturyLink will provide inmates two additional 15-minute calls per week. Daily updates can be found on the website.
22 bodies moved to rented coolers, Maricopa County officials say
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office moved 22 bodies overnight Tuesday to rented coolers at a county garage, 12 News has confirmed.
It is the first such move since the medical examiner's office more than doubled its cooler capacity three weeks ago in response to a surge in COVID-19 deaths.
"We did see a significant increase in the number of deaths in June and July," Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, the county's medical director, said at a news conference Wednesday.
"We know that many of those are due directly to COVID-19."
Be aware of COVID-19 scams, Arizona AG says
Attorney General Mark Brnovich wants Arizonans to look out for COVID-19 test result scams.
According to the attorney general's office, COVID-19 testing providers and patients are reporting a possible imposter scam.
The scam involves people calling consumers claiming that they have COVID‑19 test results.
The scammers are really trying to acquire patients’ personal information or tricking patients into incorrectly paying money.
Find more information here.
Navajo Nation reports 39 new cases, 4 more deaths
The Navajo Department of Health reported 39 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and four more deaths.
The total number of COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation is 9,195.
The total number of deaths has reached 467 as of Wednesday.
Reports indicate that 6,766 individuals have recovered from COVID-19.
83,527 people have been tested for COVID-19.
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 183,647 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Arizona and 4,002 coronavirus-related deaths.
That is an increase from 182,203 cases and 3,932 coronavirus-related deaths reported as of Wednesday.
There were 1,444 new cases reported on Thursday, a decrease from the 1,698 new cases reported on Wednesday.
There were 70 new deaths reported on Thursday, a decrease from the 87 new deaths reported on Wednesday.
There were 5,473 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 days with the highest numbers of reported deaths was July 15 and 17, when 84 people died each day. That is subject to change.
In total, 11,696 new tests were reported on Thursday, a decrease from the 14,554 new tests reported on Wednesday.
There have been a total of 1,229,713 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Thursday.
12.5% of those tests have been positive as of Thursday, down from 12.6% on Wednesday.
Here's a county breakdown:
- Maricopa: 124,022
- Pima: 17,293
- Pinal: 8,323
- Coconino: 3,043
- Navajo: 5,330
- Apache: 3,110
- Mohave: 3,078
- La Paz: 477
- Yuma: 11,367
- Graham: 518
- Cochise: 1,565
- Santa Cruz: 2,643
- Yavapai: 1,936
- Gila: 884
- 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.
