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 Wednesday, Dec. 16.
Major updates:
- There have been 429,219 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,530 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Wednesday.
- 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.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
- Pima County health director tests positive for COVID-19
Ducey holds press conference at vaccine distribution site
Gov. Doug Ducey held a press conference at the vaccine distribution location at the Arizona State Fairgrounds on Wednesday and announced the names of healthcare workers who would be among the first to receive the vaccine at an event Wednesday evening.
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Wednesday
There have been 429,219 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,530 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 424,382 confirmed cases and 7,422 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Tuesday.
A week ago, there were 382,601 cases and 7,081 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 16 de diciembre: 4,848 contagios y 108 defunciones se reportan el miércoles
4,848 new cases, 108 new deaths reported Wednesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 4,848 new cases and 108 new deaths on Wednesday.
The department did not say whether the high death number was due to death certificate matching.
Wednesday also tied a previous record of coronavirus deaths in one day during the current virus surge.
A record 92% of Arizona’s inpatient beds were filled Tuesday, either by coronavirus patients or people hospitalized for other reasons, leaving only 8% of the beds available.
Arizona’s rate of bed usage has hovered in the 10% range since early December.
Arizona’s cases, deaths and hospitalizations were already steadily rising before Thanksgiving, when gatherings and travel were expected to further spread the coronavirus.
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.
Arizona reached 400,000 coronavirus cases 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 7,000 coronavirus deaths 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.
Arizona's Rt, pronounced r-naught, was at 1.21 as of Monday, the state with the highest rate of spread in the nation and way up from the 1.12 on Sunday.
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 7,812 cases reported on the collection date of Nov. 30, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Dec. 7, with 7,604 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 17, when 103 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.
Paradise Valley Unified staying on remote learning into next semester
The Paradise Valley Unified School District announced Wednesday that students will learn from home for the foreseeable future.
The 32,000 students of the school district were already on a distance-learning plan. School district officials will continue to monitor COVID-19 spread across the state to see when classrooms can reopen.
"We will continue this mode of learning while carefully monitoring the spread of the virus," Superintendent James P. Lee said in a letter to the district. "We are committed to returning to in-person learning when students and staff can occupy our campuses with minimal health risk."
Congresswoman Lesko possibly exposed to COVID-19
Congresswoman Debbie Lesko released a statement Wednesday saying she was in contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 and would be quarantining.
“I am healthy and have no symptoms, but have been advised by the Attending Physician of the United States Congress to quarantine because of contact with a person who later tested positive for COVID-19. Though I will not return to Washington, D.C. this week for votes in the House, I remain committed to addressing the needs of the people of Arizona’s 8th Congressional District from my home in Peoria," she said in a statement.
Pima County health director tests positive
The Pima County Health Department director tested positive for COVID-19.
Dr. Theresa Cullen tested positive on Tuesday as part of an apparent outbreak in the department, officials said Wednesday.
Officials did not say whether Cullen was ill or asymptomatic.
The source of the outbreak was still under investigation.
County Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francisco Garcia said a protest at the department headquarters on Dec. 10 “may make that tracing effort extremely difficult.“
The protesters were protesting health department COVID-19 protection and enforcement actions. Garcia said some entered the building lobby and few wore masks.
Garcia also noted that there was at least one COVID-19 positive health department employee reported a few days before the protest.
The health department outbreak involves 11 employees.
Several others who had close contacts with the positive employees were asked to isolate at home for at least 10 days and were advised to get tested.
Employees who work at the department headquarters are being offered testing.
They will also be moved to other work locations or work from home while the affected floors are being sanitized.
The county administrator is also requiring hundreds of employees to stay home for three weeks, officials said.
“This just goes to prove that when there is substantial community spread of the virus like we’re experiencing now throughout the county, the virus can get into your homes and places of work any number of ways no matter how vigilant you are being with your precautions,” Garcia said in a statement.
More than 300 of the roughly 7,000 county employees have contracted COVID-19 since the outbreak began in February.
More than 60 of them, or about 20%, tested positive in the past two weeks.
According to county testing data, there are more than 8,000 people in Pima County who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past seven days and nearly 15,000 since Dec. 1.
Valleywise Health to hold briefing Wednesday on ICU capacity
Valleywise Health said on Tuesday that all of its ICU beds were full, but is expected to hold a briefing on ICU capacity. Team 12's Trisha Hendricks has the latest.
Navajo Nation health care workers receive COVID-19 vaccines
The Navajo Nation has been hit hard by COVID-19. Now health care workers on the reservation are getting vaccines. Team 12's Rachel Cole has the latest.
Arizona medical expert answers your COVID-19 questions
Dr. Frank LoVecchio with Valleywise Health Medical Center is answering your questions about COVID-19.
You can find the full question-and-answer segment and segments from past weeks at 12News.com/YouTube.
Maricopa County health department to vaccinate health care workers Thursday
Officials with Maricopa County Public Health said they would begin to vaccinate frontline health care workers on Thursday.
This would be part of the Phase 1A vaccine distribution efforts.
You can watch the briefing from Wednesday below.
Pat's Run to be virtual in 2021
Pat's Run will be held virtually in 2021.
It will be held on April 24, 2021.
Organizers said it will be a virtual event to prioritize the health and safety of runners, volunteers and the community.
Pima County enacts curfew due to COVID-19 spread
Pima County officials voted to enact a curfew to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
The curfew would take place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
It would end once the rate of transmission falls below 100 cases per 100,000 population.
The current rate in Pima County is 357 per 100,000.
You can find more information here.
Mesa asks youth sports tournaments to enforce mask wearing
The Mesa City Council voted Monday on "enhanced safety protocols" for youth and amateur sports tournaments held at city-owned facilities.
The city says these new protocols require event organizers to strictly enforce already existing protocols, like face masks for spectators, social distancing and reducing capacity on sports fields.
The city says if these new protocols, to enforce already existing protocols, don't happen, games or tournaments could be canceled.
Navajo Nation reports 160 new COVID-19 cases, 5 more deaths
Navajo Nation health officials on Tuesday reported 160 new COVID-19 cases and five more related deaths.
In all, the tribe now has reported 19,929 coronavirus cases resulting in 727 deaths since the pandemic began.
Health officials say more than 185,000 people on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah have been tested and nearly 11,000 have recovered from COVID-19.
Navajo Department of Health officials say 77 communities on the reservation still have uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus.
Tribal officials have said nearly all intensive care unit beds on the reservation are being used as COVID-19 cases surge.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
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 Wednesday
There have been 429,219 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,530 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 424,382 confirmed cases and 7,422 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Tuesday.
There were 4,848 new cases reported on Wednesday, an increase from the 4,134 new cases reported on Tuesday.
There was 108 new deaths reported on Wednesday, an increase from the 64 new deaths reported on Tuesday.
There were 7,812 cases reported on the collection date of Nov. 30, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Dec. 7, with 7,604 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of reported deaths was July 17, when 103 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 16,657 new tests were reported on Wednesday, an increase from the 14,658 new tests reported on Tuesday.
There have been a total of 2,940,495 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Wednesday.
11.3% of those tests have been positive as of Wednesday, up from 11.2% on Tuesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 266,196
- Pima: 54,957
- Pinal: 22,597
- Coconino: 9,451
- Navajo: 9,980
- Apache: 6,622
- Mohave: 9,012
- La Paz: 1,102
- Yuma: 23,447
- Graham: 2,673
- Cochise: 5,494
- Santa Cruz: 5,097
- Yavapai: 8,489
- Gila: 3,761
- Greenlee: 341
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.
