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, Jan. 15.
Major updates:
- There have been 658,186 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,040 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.
- 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 Friday
There have been 658,186 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,040 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 649,040 confirmed cases and 10,855 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
A week ago, there were 596,251 cases and 9,938 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 15 de enero: 9,146 nuevos casos, 185 muertes se reportan el viernes
9,146 new cases, 185 new deaths reported Friday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 9,146 new cases and 185 new deaths on Friday.
The department reported triple-digit death tolls each day this week, except for Monday. Numbers reported on Monday are typically lower compared to the rest of the days of the week due to reporting lags over the weekend.
Arizona has administered 217,716 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and has ordered 602,625 doses as of Thursday, but only 21,000 have been fully vaccinated. According to the state, just shy of two million people are now in the Phase 1B group.
Arizona’s cases, deaths and hospitalizations have been 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 600,000 coronavirus cases on Jan. 9, 500,000 on Dec. 28, 400,000 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 11,000 coronavirus deaths on Jan. 15, 10,000 on Jan. 9, 9,000 on Jan. 1, 8,000 on Dec. 22, 7,000 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 on Thursday, down from the numbers on Tuesday but among the top ten worst 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.
There were 11,678 cases reported on the collection date of Jan. 4, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Dec. 28, with 11,316 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Dec. 17, when 125 people died. The day with the second-most deaths was Dec. 18, when 121 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.
Tempe Elementary School District returning to virtual learning
Tempe Elementary School District has announced that they will return to virtual learning until the end of Spring Break on March 15.
The decision came as the district has fallen into the "Substantial Risk" category of COVID-19 metrics.
The message to parents states that in-person learning could resume earlier depending on if the metrics change.
Maricopa County not giving COVID-19 vaccines to people over 65 until supply increases
Maricopa County officials say they cannot give COVID-19 vaccines to people over 65 until the supply increases. Team 12's Jen Wahl has the latest.
Arizonans 65 and older to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccine
The Arizona Department of Health Services announced Wednesday that an additional 750,000 Arizonans aged 65 years and older will be prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to ADHS, updated guidance adds those 65 and older to populations that already include those 75 and older.
Arizonans age 65 and older will be able to register for vaccine starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday in counties that are currently vaccinating those in prioritized Phase 1B of vaccination.
Counties are able to prioritize based on available vaccine, so those seeking vaccination need to check their county health department’s plans for vaccine prioritization.
Information on the phase each county is currently vaccinating, the number of doses ordered by each county, and location of vaccination sites can be found at azhealth.gov/findvaccine.
Of deaths in Arizona due to COVID-19, 85% have been among those 65 and older, per ADHS. More than 50% of cases hospitalized come in that age group.
In total, 171,000 Arizonans have been vaccinated and 17,000 have received both doses. More than 11,000 have been vaccinated at a 24/7 operation ADHS and partners launched Monday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
A second state-run vaccination facility is expected to be opened on Feb. 1 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium to accommodate for increased demand, ADHS says.
Maricopa County will not vaccinate 65-plus until more vaccine is allocated
In the Maricopa County Public Health update on COVID-19 distribution, Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, Medical Director of Disease Control, said the county's system will not open vaccine distribution to age group 65-74 until more of the vaccine is allocated to the state.
The priority for the county remains with vaccinating phase 1A and priority groups of phase 1B. This means the eight pharmacy providers within the system will not begin when the AZDHS does.
It is currently unknown when the county will receive the allocation of the vaccine needed to move forward. The AZDHS will start taking appointments for this age group on Tuesday.
Watch the full update below.
Arizona to launch second state COVID-19 vaccine site
The Arizona Department of Health Services will launch a second state COVID-19 vaccination site as more people are becoming eligible to receive the vaccine.
Phoenix Municipal Stadium will serve as the second state vaccination site starting Feb. 1.
Arizonans who are currently eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine -- those in Phases 1A and 1B -- will be able to sign up for an appointment starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
That is also the same time when the department will open up Phase 1B vaccinations to people aged 65 and older.
The stadium will only be open for vaccine appointments during daytime hours.
The number of available appointments will depend on the number of vaccine doses available at that time.
State Farm Stadium appointments booked through the month
The Arizona Department of Health Services announced that all appointments at State Farm Stadium have been booked for the month of January.
Appointments for February will open at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
That is also when priority group 1B can make appointments for the state site in Glendale and at Phoenix Municipal Stadium starting Feb. 1.
Pima County expands COVID-19 vaccines to Phase 1B.1
The Pima County Health Department announced Thursday that it would move into Phase 1B.1 of COVID-19 vaccinations starting Friday.
People who are eligible to receive vaccines in this phase are those over the age of 75, people in protective service occupations such as law enforcement and teachers, educators and child care workers.
Vaccination efforts will continue for people in Phase 1A.
The county is working with the state and the CDC Retail Pharmacy program to give the vaccine to local pharmacies to help reach people 75 and over.
You can find more information on the vaccine here.
Agency starts offering vaccine to corrections officers
Arizona prison officials started offering COVID-19 vaccinations Friday to corrections officers at the Perryville prison in Goodyear, with other prisons to follow in the future.
Corrections officers can get vaccinated through either the the state corrections department or the counties in which they live.
The company that provides health care for prisoners plans to begin offering vaccine to its employees Monday, though many of its providers have already received it.
It’s unknown when vaccines will be offered to state prisoners.
In Arizona’s county jails, several sheriff’s offices have already begun offering the vaccine to officers. It’s unknown when county jail inmates will get vaccinated.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 202 new COVID-19 cases, 13 more deaths
Navajo Nation health officials on Thursday reported 202 new COVID-19 cases and 13 more deaths from the coronavirus outbreak.
The latest figures increased the pandemic’s totals for the tribe to 25,952 cases and 892 known deaths.
The tribe says nearly 220,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 and more than 13,000 have recovered.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
The Navajo Nation’s vast reservation includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
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 658,186 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 11,040 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 649,040 confirmed cases and 10,855 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 9,146 new cases reported on Friday, an increase from the 7,311 new cases reported on Thursday.
There were 185 new deaths reported on Friday, an increase from the 182 new deaths reported on Thursday.
There were 11,678 cases reported on the collection date of Jan. 4, the day with the most collected diagnoses so far. The day with the second-most collected diagnoses so far was on Dec. 28, with 11,316 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Dec. 17, when 125 people died. The day with the second-most deaths was Dec. 18, when 121 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 21,856 new tests were reported on Friday, a decrease from the 22,251 new tests reported on Thursday.
There have been a total of 3,576,844 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Friday.
13.6% of those tests have been positive as of Friday, up from 13.4% on Thursday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 407,631
- Pima: 87,687
- Pinal: 36,122
- Coconino: 13,616
- Navajo: 13,090
- Apache: 8,482
- Mohave: 16,397
- La Paz: 1,967
- Yuma: 32,349
- Graham: 4,276
- Cochise: 9,444
- Santa Cruz: 6,950
- Yavapai: 14,398
- Gila: 5,306
- Greenlee: 471
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.
