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 Monday, Dec. 21.
Major updates:
- There have been 461,345 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,972 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Monday.
- 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 Monday
There have been 461,345 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,972 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 453,597 confirmed cases and 7,971 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Sunday.
A week ago, there were 420,248 cases and 7,358 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 21 de diciembre: 7,748 contagios y 1 muerte se reportaron el lunes
7,748 new cases, 1 new death reported Monday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 7,748 new cases and one new death on Monday.
The numbers reported on Mondays are typically less than other days of the week.
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 1.07 as of Saturday.
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 8,139 cases reported on the collection date of Dec. 14, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Nov. 30, with 7,839 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.
Dignity Health to roll out COVID-19 vaccine in Arizona on Monday
Dignity Health will roll out the COVID-19 vaccine in Arizona on Monday.
The vaccination point of distribution is serving health care workers in the East Valley.
Before the sun came up on Monday, dozens of frontline health care workers waited to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
Steve Kirk, a COVID-19 ICU nurse, was the first in line.
“I was glad to be there; I was happy to be there, excited to be there,” he said.
The location that opened on Monday is one of five locations administering vaccines in Maricopa County.
Each one designated by the Maricopa County Public Health Department.
Dignity Health’s chief physician executive called it a historic day.
“Forty years in health care…this is one of the highlights,” Keith A. Frey said.
“I’d have to say, this is really, really special. It’s a great partnership between the health care industry, and our officials at the state and the county. And just the national effort. So it’s a historic day.”
Roughly 800 health care workers were expected to pass through the line Monday alone. This came as confirmed COVID-19 cases continued to rise in Arizona.
But in time, the vaccines are, of course, expected to help slow the spread.
“It gives you light at the end of the tunnel; It gives you some hope, it gives us some peace of mind,” Kirk said.
Team 12's Matt Yurus has the latest.
COVID-19 rate increases aren't stopping travelers at Phoenix Sky Harbor
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Tucson Medical Center cancels all elective surgeries starting Monday.
The Tucson Medical Center has canceled all elective surgeries starting Monday until at least Jan. 4, according to an internal memo.
The memo said the cancellation was put in place because "the number of COVID patients needing care is exceeding available resources on a daily basis."
The cancellation will aim to "address the constrained nursing, clinical and medical staff."
Arizona didn't get full COVID-19 vaccine shipment, health officials say
The Arizona Department of Health Services said the state did not get its full expected allocation of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer for this week.
The department said it has asked the CDC for an explanation for the difference, but has not yet received a response.
Arizona expected to order 70,200 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for the week of Dec. 20, but was only able to order 41,925 doses.
The department also said 119,400 doses of the Moderna vaccine have been allocated to Arizona. That vaccine is expected to arrive between Monday and Wednesday. Maricopa County will receive 18,500 Moderna doses and Pima County will receive 17,000 doses.
CVS to launch COVID-19 vaccination program for long-term care facilities
CVS Health announced Monday that it would launch a COVID-19 vaccination program for long-term care facilities across the U.S., including in Arizona.
The company said the effort would begin in Arizona on Dec. 28.
More than 900 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in Arizona are expected to participate in the program.
The company said it expects to vaccinate more than 163,000 patients in Arizona through this program.
Teams with CVS Pharmacy will make three visits to each long-term care facility to ensure residents and staff receive their initial shot and critical booster.
The majority of residents and staff will be fully vaccinated three to four weeks after the first visit, depending on which vaccine they receive.
The company expects to complete its long-term care facility vaccination effort in approximately 12 weeks.
Navajo Nation reports 157 new cases, one more death
The Navajo Department of Health reported 157 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and one more death on Sunday.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 21,019, including 52 delayed reported cases.
The total number of deaths is now 746 as of Sunday.
Reports indicate that 11,039 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 191,564 COVID-19 tests have been administered.
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 Monday
There have been 461,345 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 7,972 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 453,597 confirmed cases and 7,971 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Sunday.
There were 7,748 new cases reported on Monday, an increase from the 5,366 new cases reported on Sunday.
There was one new death reported on Monday, a decrease from the 34 new deaths reported on Sunday.
There were 8,139 cases reported on the collection date of Dec. 14, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Nov. 30, with 7,839 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, 17,770 new tests were reported on Monday, a decrease from the 24,014 new tests reported on Sunday.
There have been a total of 3,050,663 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Monday.
11.6% of those tests have been positive as of Monday, an increase from the 11.5% on Sunday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 284,462
- Pima: 60,360
- Pinal: 24,198
- Coconino: 10,145
- Navajo: 10,422
- Apache: 6,918
- Mohave: 10,234
- La Paz: 1,188
- Yuma: 24,964
- Graham: 2,816
- Cochise: 6,219
- Santa Cruz: 5,422
- Yavapai: 9,579
- Gila: 4,064
- Greenlee: 354
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.
