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. 4.
Major updates:
- There have been 352,101 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,885 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.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
- Dr. Cara Christ discusses Arizona's plan for distributing COVID-19 vaccine
- Mesa Public Schools returning to virtual learning for 2 weeks
- Tempe to re-close city gyms, fitness centers and halt tournaments
- Tucson curfew to take effect Friday due to COVID-19
- Navajo Nation extends stay-at-home order, reinstates weekend lockdown
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Friday
There have been 352,101 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,885 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 346,421 confirmed cases and 6,821 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
A week ago, there were 318,638 cases and 6,588 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 4 de diciembre: 5,680 casos nuevos y 64 decesos se reportan el viernes
5,680 new cases, 64 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 5,680 new cases and 64 new deaths on Friday.
Friday's cases were the second-highest number reported in Arizona, following the 10,322 reported on Tuesday. Tuesday's high number of cases were due to the delayed reporting of coronavirus cases over the holiday weekend.
Friday also marked the third day this week that more than 5,000 cases were reported.
Only 9% of ICU beds statewide were available Thursday.
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 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 1.17 on Wednesday, up from 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 5,917 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.
Watch: ADHS director discusses Arizona's plan for distributing COVID-19 vaccine
Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ held a virtual information session to discuss the state's plan for distributing COVID-19 vaccine.
States plan for vaccines as daily US virus deaths top 3,100
States are drafting plans for who gets the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available this month, as the nation’s death toll from the pandemic surpassed 3,100 in a single day for the first time.
Governors and other state officials are weighing both health and economic concerns in deciding the order in which the shots will be given because initial supplies will be limited.
Many appear to be heeding nonbinding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to put nursing home residents and health care workers first.
But some governors and lawmakers want to give priority to teachers and other workers, too.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Mesa Public Schools returning to virtual learning for 2 weeks
Mesa Public Schools, the largest public school district in Arizona, 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 will begin Jan. 4 and lasts through Jan. 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.
Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.
Tempe to re-close city gyms, fitness centers and halt tournaments
The city of Tempe announced Friday that it would re-close gyms and fitness centers and halt sports tournaments due to "the alarming increase in COVID-19 cases."
The city said it will re-close gyms and fitness centers inside Kiwanis, North Tempe, Escalante and Westside community centers starting Monday until further notice.
Sports tournaments will also be halted to help avoid large group gatherings.
The city said this was "due to the alarming increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks locally and statewide."
The community centers will remain open for other services, including afterschool programs. Kiwanis Tennis Center will also continue to serve tennis players.
Playgrounds and ramadas will remain open and outdoor activities can continue as long as physical distancing and face covering protocols are followed, the city said.
Tempe Public Library will also remain open with no changes.
Face coverings are required at all city facilities and temperature checks may be taken.
Tempe City Hall, Tempe History Museum, Edna Vihel Arts Center, Pyle Adult Recreation Center, Tempe Center for the Arts and all city senior centers will remain closed.
Tucson curfew to take effect Friday due to COVID-19
The Tucson City Council voted Tuesday night to establish a mandatory nightly curfew for three weeks in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew will take effect Friday and run through Dec. 23. Romero says she sought the curfew “for the safety and welfare and health of the citizens of Tucson.”
It prohibits residents from being on public streets or spaces unless traveling to work or other essential activities.
Romero says Pima County reported had a record-high 944 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, and hospitals in southern Arizona are on the verge of a crisis.
Earlier Tuesday, state health officials reported 10,322 new known coronavirus cases and 48 additional deaths around Arizona.
Navajo Nation extends stay-at-home order, reinstates weekend lockdown
The Navajo Nation has reported a total of 17,310 cases and 663 deaths related to COVID-19 as of Thursday.
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.
Medical officials serving Navajo make urgent plea: Stay home
Medical professionals serving the Navajo Nation made an urgent plea to residents Thursday to stay home as coronavirus cases rise.
The numbers are testing the limits of health care on the vast reservation that already is scrambling to find places to transport critically ill patients.
The tribe is seeing more cases daily now than it did in the spring when it was a national hotspot.
The difference now is that cases are rising in all the states that border the reservation, and the tribe no longer can draw on the resources it once did.
Indian Health Service officials say the agency is at serious risk of running out of hospital beds, nurses and supplies.
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 352,101 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,885 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 346,421 confirmed cases and 6,821 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 5,680 new cases reported on Friday, an increase from the 5,442 reported on Thursday.
There were 64 new deaths reported on Friday, a decrease from 82 reported on Thursday.
There were 5,917 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, 22,795 new tests were reported on Friday, an increase from the 18,836 new tests reported on Thursday.
There have been a total of 2,695,707 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday.
10.3% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, the same as Thursday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 222,218
- Pima: 42,698
- Pinal: 18,046
- Coconino: 7,897
- Navajo: 8,519
- Apache: 5,702
- Mohave: 6,940
- La Paz: 958
- Yuma: 18,762
- Graham: 2,314
- Cochise: 4,106
- Santa Cruz: 4,226
- Yavapai: 6,212
- Gila: 3,226
- Greenlee: 277
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.
