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, Dec. 18.
Major updates:
- There have been 442,671 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,819 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.
- 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 442,671 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,819 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 435,036 confirmed cases and 7,677 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
A week ago, there were 394,512 cases and 7,245 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 18 de diciembre: 7,635 casos nuevos y 142 decesos se reportan el viernes
7,635 new cases, 142 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 7,635 new cases and 142 new deaths on Friday.
The department did not say whether the high death number was due to death certificate matching.
Friday also marked the third straight day that Arizona reported more than 100 additional known COVID-19 deaths.
COVID-19-related hospitalizations in Arizona reached 3,931 on Thursday, the latest in a string of pandemic records started earlier this month.
Before the current surge, the previous daily hospitalization record was around 3,500 on July 13 during the state’s summer surge.
Arizona hospitals are nearly at capacity, with only 7% of beds available and not in use.
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 1.15 as of Wednesday, down from 1.9 on Tuesday but still the third-highest state 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 7,835 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 7,632 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.
Thousands of Arizonans asked to retake COVID-19 tests
Ten thousand Arizonans were asked to retake their COVID-19 tests due to lab issues. Team 12's Trisha Hendricks has the latest.
Half of Arizona counties seeing substantial virus spread
State health officials say half of the counties in Arizona are seeing “substantial” spread of COVID-19.
Weekly metrics released Thursday by the Arizona Department of Health Services listed eight counties, including Pima, in southern and eastern Arizona with a substantial number of cases.
Arizona’s other seven counties, including Maricopa, remained classified as moderate.
The figures show just over 5,800 new confirmed cases and 147 more deaths throughout the state.
Gov. Doug Ducey has resisted a return to business closures and a stay-home order he imposed in the early stages of the outbreak, saying it’s up to people to take personal responsibility for slowing the spread.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 287 new COVID-19 cases, 1 more death
Navajo Nation health officials on Thursday reported 287 new COVID-19 cases and one new related death.
In all, the tribe now has reported 20,395 coronavirus cases resulting in 732 deaths since the pandemic began.
Health officials say more than 186,000 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 said 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 Friday
There have been 442,671 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,819 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 435,036 confirmed cases and 7,677 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 7,635 new cases reported on Friday, an increase from the 5,817 new cases reported on Thursday.
There was 142 new deaths reported on Friday, a slight decrease from the 147 new deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 7,835 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 7,632 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, 23,138 new tests were reported on Friday, a slight decrease from the 23,940 new tests reported on Friday.
There have been a total of 2,987,572 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday.
11.4% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, up from 11.3% on Thursday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 274,026
- Pima: 57,250
- Pinal: 23,143
- Coconino: 9,744
- Navajo: 10,116
- Apache: 6,731
- Mohave: 9,536
- La Paz: 1,139
- Yuma: 24,103
- Graham: 2,740
- Cochise: 5,746
- Santa Cruz: 5,228
- Yavapai: 8,936
- Gila: 3,886
- Greenlee: 347
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.
