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, Jan. 28.
Major updates:
- There have been 743,232 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 12,819 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.
- 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 Thursday
There have been 743,232 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 12,819 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 738,561 confirmed cases and 12,643 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.
A week ago, there were 699,942 cases and 11,772 deaths reported in Arizona.
LEER EN ESPANOL: Coronavirus en Arizona el 28 de enero: 4,671 nuevos casos, 176 muertes se reportan el jueves
4,671 new cases, 176 new deaths reported Thursday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 4,671 new cases and 176 new deaths on Thursday.
The department did not say whether the high death count was due to death certificate matching.
Arizona has the worst COVID-19 diagnosis rate among U.S. states, but seven-day rolling averages of known daily cases and daily deaths declined over the past two weeks.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has dropped from the pandemic high of 5,082 on Jan. 11 to 4,087 as of Wednesday.
Hospital officials on Wednesday warned residents not to become complacent by the drops in cases and hospitalizations, and they stressed the importance of wearing masks and social distancing.
Arizona has given 518,125 COVID-19 vaccine doses to 430,673 people, including 79,026 who have received both doses, as of Wednesday.
The department said all the vaccine appointments for February are booked at both state-run sites. It was not immediately known when appointments for March would be made available.
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 700,000 coronavirus cases on Jan. 22, 600,000 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 12,000 coronavirus deaths on Jan. 22, 11,000 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 0.96 on Tuesday, up from 0.95 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.
There were 11,944 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 11,568 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 5, when 139 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 3, when 136 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.
Arizona has administered more than half million COVID-19 vaccine doses
The Arizona Department of Health Services said more than half a million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered as of Wednesday. Team 12's Trisha Hendricks has the latest.
Arizona still hot spot despite dip in virus hospitalizations
Hospital administrators across Arizona are warning the public not to become complacent because of a noticeable decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
The chief clinical officer for the Banner Health health care company estimated to be caring for about half the state's COVID-19 patients says enforcement of masks and social distancing are what will be effective.
Despite statistics trending down, health care officials say Arizona is still recording figures higher than during the virus surge last July.
The state Department of Health Services reported Wednesday more than 5,900 additional known cases and 195 deaths.
Arizona now has had more than 730,000 cases and more than 12,600 deaths.
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 152 new COVID-19 cases, 4 more deaths
Navajo Nation health officials on Wednesday reported 152 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths.
The latest figures bring the total reported coronavirus cases on the reservation to 27,887 with 989 known deaths.
On Monday, the tribe extended its stay-at-home order with a revised nightly curfew to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The Navajo Department of Health has identified 53 communities with uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus, down from 75 communities in recent weeks.
The Navajo Nation also is lifting weekend lockdowns to allow more vaccination events.
The actions in the latest public health emergency order will run through at least Feb. 15.
The Navajo Nation extends into 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 Thursday
There have been 743,232 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 12,819 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 738,561 confirmed cases and 12,643 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Wednesday.
There were 4,671 new cases reported on Thursday, a decrease from the 5,918 new cases reported on Wednesday.
There were 176 new deaths reported on Thursday, a decrease from the 195 new deaths reported on Wednesday.
There were 11,944 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 11,568 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 5, when 139 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 3, when 136 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 15,526 new tests were reported on Thursday, a decrease from the 16,626 new tests reported on Wednesday.
There have been a total of 3,824,629 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Thursday.
14.2% of those tests have been positive as of Thursday, the same as Wednesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases in each county:
- Maricopa: 462,580
- Pima: 99,441
- Pinal: 41,829
- Coconino: 14,998
- Navajo: 14,178
- Apache: 9,472
- Mohave: 18,741
- La Paz: 2,211
- Yuma: 34,762
- Graham: 4,872
- Cochise: 10,324
- Santa Cruz: 7,383
- Yavapai: 16,025
- Gila: 5,900
- Greenlee: 516
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.