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 Tuesday, Dec. 8.
Major updates:
- There have been 378,157 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,973 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Tuesday.
- 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 Tuesday
There have been 378,157 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,973 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 365,843 confirmed cases and 6,950 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
A week ago, there were 337,139 cases and 6,687 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 8 de diciembre: 12,314 casos nuevos y 23 decesos se reportan el martes
12,314 new cases, 23 new deaths reported Tuesday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 12,314 new cases and 23 new deaths on Tuesday.
That's the highest number of single-day cases ever reported in Arizona. The department has not indicated that a delay in reporting was due to Tuesday's high case numbers.
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 as of Sunday, down from 1.18 on Saturday. Arizona's Rt was the sixth-highest 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.
RELATED: This is the number that health officials are watching closely in the fight against COVID-19 (And you should too)
There were 7,645 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 7,362 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.
Maricopa County outlines COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan
Some Arizonans could get the first doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine as early as next week. Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.
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 above article is from The Associated Press.
Maricopa County suspending civil jury trials due to COVID-19
Citing the COVID-19 surge, Maricopa County Superior Court officials say civil jury trials are being suspended through February.
They say the number of criminal jury trials are being limited due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Superior Court Presiding Judge Joseph Welty issued the order Monday in response to the public health emergency.
No more than two criminal jury trials may proceed at one time on any floor in the Superior Court’s South Court tower and no more than one jury shall be empaneled per day.
Anyone coming into a courthouse is required to wear a mask.
The court is encouraging people to fill out the jury questionnaire form online before coming in to help the court with the pre-screening process.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 213 new COVID-19 cases, 15 more deaths
Navajo Nation health officials on Monday reported 213 new COVID-19 cases and 15 more deaths.
In all, the tribe has now reported 18,163 cases and 682 knows deaths since the pandemic began.
The Navajo Department of Health now has identified 77 communities with uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 from Nov. 20 to Dec. 3.
Tribal officials say nearly all intensive care unit beds on the reservation are being are used as coronavirus cases surge.
They warn that 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 Sunday evening that there are few options to transport patients to other regional hospitals that are near full capacity.
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 Tuesday
There have been 378,157 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 6,973 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 365,843 confirmed cases and 6,950 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Monday.
There were 12,314 new cases reported on Tuesday, a record-breaking number and an increase from the 1,567 new cases reported on Monday.
There were 23 new deaths reported on Tuesday, an increase from the zero new deaths reported on Monday.
There were 7,645 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 7,362 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, 20,391 new tests were reported on Tuesday, a decrease from the 18,678 new tests reported on Monday.
There have been a total of 2,780,498 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Tuesday.
10.6% of those tests have been positive as of Tuesday, up from 10.5% on Monday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 236,818
- Pima: 46,849
- Pinal: 19,579
- Coconino: 8,494
- Navajo: 9,056
- Apache: 5,952
- Mohave: 7,621
- La Paz: 996
- Yuma: 20,490
- Graham: 2,419
- Cochise: 4,663
- Santa Cruz: 4,569
- Yavapai: 6,989
- Gila: 3,365
- Greenlee: 297
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.
