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. 7.
Major updates:
- There have been 365,843 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,950 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.
- Scroll down to see how many cases are in each ZIP code and additional information.
- Tempe to re-close city gyms, fitness centers and halt tournaments
- Arizona Legislature closed due to possible Giuliani COVID-19 exposure
- Navajo Nation reports 177 new cases, no new deaths
COVID-19 cases reported in Arizona on Monday
There have been 365,843 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,950 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 364,276 confirmed cases and 6,950 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Sunday.
A week ago, there were 326,817 cases and 6,639 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER: Coronavirus en Arizona el 7 de diciembre: 1,567 casos nuevos y ningún deceso se reporta el lunes
1,567 new cases, zero new deaths reported Monday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 1,567 new cases and zero new deaths on Monday.
Monday's numbers are typically low due to a lag in reporting over the weekend.
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 1.18 on 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.
RELATED: This is the number that health officials are watching closely in the fight against COVID-19 (And you should too)
There were 7,311 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. 1, with 6,281 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: Maricopa County discusses COVID-19 vaccine distribution
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors met on Monday about the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan.
University of Arizona to require COVID-19 testing
The University of Arizona will require anyone visiting campus next semester to have a negative test for COVID-19 within the previous week.
President Robert Robbins announced the rule on Monday as the university responds to a growing number of coronavirus infections across Arizona.
Robbins says students won’t be able to access campus WiFi if they don’t have a recent negative test logged.
State officials on Monday reported 1,567 new confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide with no new deaths.
The numbers are far lower than the 5,000-plus new cases reported several days last week, but Monday reports are often artificially low because of delayed weekend reporting.
The report above was filed by the Associated Press.
Tempe to re-close city gyms, fitness centers and halt tournaments
The city of Tempe will re-close city-owned 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.
Team 12's Matt Yurus has the latest.
Arizona Legislature closed due to possible Giuliani COVID-19 exposure
Arizona's Legislature will be closed for a week after President Donald Trump's personal attorney may have exposed a score of legislators to COVID-19.
Rudy Giuliani, the face of the administration's attacks on the election's security, was diagnosed with COVID-19, according to a Sunday tweet from Trump.
Giuliani visited Phoenix for a "hearing" on "election fraud" at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix last week.
About 15 Republican members or members-elect of the Legislature attended the 11-plus-hour gathering. Only one wore a mask.
Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.
Navajo Nation reports 177 new cases, no new deaths
The Navajo Department of Health reported 177 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and no recent deaths on Sunday.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 17,915, including one delayed reported case.
The total number of deaths remains 667 as previously reported on Saturday.
Reports indicate that 9,833 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 171,539 COVID-19 tests have been administered.
ICU beds nearing capacity on Navajo Nation as virus surges
Navajo Nation officials say nearly all intensive care unit beds on the reservation are being are used as COVID-19 cases surge.
They warned the tribe is nearing a point where health care workers will have to make difficult decisions about providing care with limited hospital resources.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said there are few options to transport patients to other regional hospitals that are near full capacity.
The tribe has extended its stay-at-home order to stop the spread of the virus.
Officials reported 177 additional COVID-19 cases and no deaths related to the virus as of Sunday.
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 Monday
There have been 365,843 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,950 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 364,276 confirmed cases and 6,950 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Sunday.
There were 1,567 new cases reported on Monday, a decrease from Sunday.
There were zero new deaths reported on Monday, a decrease from Sunday.
There were 7,311 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. 1, with 6,281 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, 18,678 new tests were reported on Monday.
There have been a total of 2,760,100 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Sunday.
10.5% of those tests have been positive as of Monday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 228,486
- Pima: 45,892
- Pinal: 18,959
- Coconino: 8,326
- Navajo: 8,766
- Apache: 5,864
- Mohave: 7,239
- La Paz: 976
- Yuma: 19,755
- Graham: 2,398
- Cochise: 4,342
- Santa Cruz: 4,460
- Yavapai: 6,796
- Gila: 3,290
- Greenlee: 294
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.
Coronavirus facts you should know
