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, Dec. 3.
Major updates:
- There have been 346,421 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,821 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.
- You can find COVID-19 testing sites here.
- 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 346,421 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,821 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 340,979 confirmed cases and 6,739 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.
A week ago, there were 314,326 cases and 6,568 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 3 de diciembre: 5,442 casos nuevos y 82 decesos se reportan el jueves
5,442 new cases, 82 new deaths reported Thursday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 5,442 new cases and 82 new deaths on Thursday.
Forty-six of the deaths were from death certificate matching, the department said.
The pace of COVID-19-related deaths in Arizona has increased by 57% in the past two weeks.
Ten percent of total ICU beds in Arizona were available as of Wednesday. 37% of all ICU beds were taken by COVID-19 patients.
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 300,000 coronavirus cases on Nov. 23, 200,000 on Aug. 27, 100,000 on July 6 and 50,000 cases on June 21. The state reached 6,000 coronavirus deaths 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 1.04 on Monday.
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.
RELATED: This is the number that health officials are watching closely in the fight against COVID-19 (And you should too)
There were 5,724 cases reported on the collection date of Nov. 23, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on June 29, with 5,453 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.
All Arizonans can get forthcoming COVID-19 vaccine for free, Ducey says
Gov. Doug Ducey has come up with a plan to make sure all Arizonans have access to the COVID-19 vaccine once it is ready. Team 12's Trisha Hendricks has the latest.
Arizona hospital groups seeing winter COVID-19 surge
Banner and Valleywise hospital groups have been preparing for a bad winter in terms of COVID-19, and they're beginning to see it. Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.
Navajo Nation extends stay-at-home order and reinstates weekend lockdown
As of today, Navajo Nation has reported a total of 17,310 cases and 663 deaths related to COVID-19. Officials of the nation have said their hospitals are facing crisis levels as hospitalizations have become overwhelming.
Navajo Nation President, Jonathan Nez said in a statement:
“We have been in a state of emergency since the pandemic began here on the Navajo Nation, but that has now elevated to a major health care crisis. Our health care experts are now saying that the current wave or surge is far more severe and troublesome than the wave that we saw in April and May, perhaps four or five times larger according to projections. Our medical experts on the front lines are pleading with all of our Navajo people to stay home as much as possible in order to reduce and isolate the spread of COVID-19. We have not yet seen the full extent of this second wave, but we do know that the severity of this second wave relies completely on our individual actions. Because of this unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases, we are extending the stay-at-home lockdown for three additional weeks beyond Dec. 6 and it will include 57-hour weekend lockdowns every weekend through Dec. 28.”
The virtual town hall with all updates can be seen here.
Mesa Public Schools returning to virtual learning for 2 weeks
The largest public school district in Arizona, Mesa Public Schools, will temporarily return to virtual learning for the beginning of the next semester.
The district announced a two-week remote-learning period while officials collect information for the rest of the semester.
It begins January 4 and lasts through January 15 for all 64,000 students.
“Our COVID-19 tracking team will use this data, along with the district and zip code metrics, to confirm a return to five-day modified in-person learning on Tuesday, Jan. 19,” the district said.
Arizona’s health department is recommending a full transition to remote learning if its three COVID-19 tracking metrics are in the red category. Right now, two of them are.
Plans for the rest of the year have yet to be decided.
Scottsdale expands free food program for low-income seniors
About $3 million from the CARES Act is helping Scottsdale's most vulnerable residents with services like the Brown Bag Program.
Fry's offering rapid antibody testing at all pharmacy locations
Fry’s Food Stores announced on Thursday that it is offering rapid antibody testing at all pharmacy locations.
The rapid antibody test is not diagnostic but will help inform patients if they have previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The tests are conducted using a finger-prick blood sample. They will cost $25 and typically provide results within 15 minutes.
Anyone who believes they were exposed to the coronavirus in the past and are not currently experiencing symptoms are eligible for the antibody test.
You can make an appointment here.
Tempe to offer free COVID-19 tests on Thursday
The city of Tempe will offer free COVID-19 tests on Thursday.
The saliva tests will be offered at Westside Multigenerational Center at 715 W. Fifth Street.
Officials want to make sure everyone is getting tested, even if you have been tested before and even if that test came back negative. Because you may still not be in the clear.
"The City of Tempe is committed to providing free COVID-19 testing to residents, workforce and anyone who needs it in a timely manner," Mayor Corey Woods said in a statement.
"We believe that testing is imperative to keep the virus from spreading and to ensure people get medical help they may need."
City of Tempe’s Deputy Fire Chief Nick Ells said this is important not only to protect you and your loved ones, but medical resources as well.
“On the front lines our crews are still facing it everyday,” he explained.
“It’s something that hasn’t gone away. Our call volume is through the roof with COVID-type patients.”
Woods, who had COVID-19 and was tested again on Wednesday, notes these safety precautions are even more important because COVID-19 carriers can be asymptomatic.
“I had symptoms where I had a one-day fever, two days of body aches, lost my sense of taste and smell for two to three weeks," Woods said.
"I know other people who felt like they had a cold or a mild sinus infection. And then there was some people who test positive, and don’t feel anything."
Additional steps that should be taken: “Maintain social distancing, please wear a mask, wash your hands. If you are sick, stay home,” Ells said.
The city will also begin its Testing Tuesdays program on Dec. 8. Every Tuesday, ASU, the City of Tempe and Tempe Fire Medical Rescue will offer free COVID-19 saliva tests at the Cahill Senior Center, which is also located at 715 W. Fifth Street.
Those interested in a test should make a reservation at tempe.gov/testing.
Team 12's Matt Yurus has the latest.
Phoenix cancels upcoming sports tournaments amid COVID-19 outbreak
The Phoenix City Council voted 7-2 on Wednesday to cancel sporting events scheduled on city parks and fields due to rising coronavirus cases.
Reservations for youth sporting tournaments will be canceled starting Thursday, Dec. 3, and will carry on through at least through February 2021.
The fields won’t be used until the city reports COVID-19 cases returning to "moderate" spread levels, which were last seen on Sept. 6.
The decision affects 30 tournaments, with 3,984 teams no longer able to participate in the city.
Park playgrounds and grass areas will still be open for use.
Hospitals call on Arizona to act as COVID-19 surge mounts
Top hospital officials across Arizona are urging the state to take more action to stop the spread of COVID-19, making a bleak projection that the health care system could go beyond capacity later this month.
Officials at the state's largest health system, Banner Health, warned Wednesday that it could surpass its hospital bed capacity as early as next week.
The system's chief clinical officer was one of eight hospital leaders who signed a letter calling on Arizona's top health official, Dr. Cara Christ, to establish tougher measures.
The suggestions include a ban on indoor dining and group athletic events, curfews and limiting gatherings to no more than 25 people.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 310 new COVID-19 cases, 2 more deaths
Navajo Nation health officials on Wednesday night reported 310 new COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths.
Tribal officials say the Navajo Nation now has had 17,035 total cases since the pandemic began with 658 known deaths.
The vast reservation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Tribal health officials say 166,517 people have been tested and 9,517 have recovered.
Residents remain under a stay-at-home order, with an exception for essential workers and essential needs like food, medication and emergencies.
Essential businesses also have been ordered to limit their hours to between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily.
A mask requirement has been in place for much of the year.
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 Thursday
There have been 346,421 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,821 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 340,979 confirmed cases and 6,739 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.
There were 5,442 new cases reported on Thursday, an increase from the 3,840 reported on Wednesday.
There were 82 new deaths reported on Thursday, an increase from 52 reported on Wednesday. Forty-six deaths were from death certificate matching.
There were 5,724 cases reported on the collection date of Nov. 23, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on June 29, with 5,453 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, 18,836 new tests were reported on Thursday, an increase from the 16,936 new tests reported on Wednesday.
There have been a total of 2,672,914 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Thursday.
10.3% of those tests have been positive as of Thursday, up from 10.2% on Wednesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 218,935
- Pima: 41,882
- Pinal: 17,702
- Coconino: 7,744
- Navajo: 8,423
- Apache: 5,630
- Mohave: 6,792
- La Paz: 921
- Yuma: 18,636
- Graham: 2,281
- Cochise: 3,954
- Santa Cruz: 4,118
- Yavapai: 5,971
- Gila: 3,167
- Greenlee: 265
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.
