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 Saturday, Jan. 30.
Major updates:
- There have been 753,379 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 13,098 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona as of Saturday.
- 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 Saturday
There have been 753,379 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 13,098 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona, according to the state's latest numbers.
That's an increase from the 748,260 confirmed cases and 13,022 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Friday.
A week ago, there were 715,357 cases and 12,170 deaths reported in Arizona.
5,119 new cases, 76 new deaths reported Saturday
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 5,119 new cases and 76 new deaths on Saturday.
Arizona has administered 629,845 COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Saturday.
With the pandemic slowing nationwide, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to drop in Arizona though it remains the state with the worst diagnosis rate.
On Friday, the state announced that a more contagious strain of COVID-19 was confirmed in tests from three people.
The department said it was monitoring the situation and that the development underscored the need for people to commit to wear masks and socially distance.
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.
There are 563 hospitalizations per 1 million in Arizona as of Friday, according to The COVID Tracking Project. You can find more data from the project here.
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 13,000 coronavirus deaths on on Jan. 29, 12,000 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.
There were 11,962 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 11,570 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 5, when 140 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 9, when 138 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.
New COVID-19 strain discovered in Arizona
Arizona has reported its first case of the new strain of the COVID-19 virus, the Arizona Department of Health Services announced Friday.
ADHS says three test samples taken in the state were positive for the variant.
Doctors say the coronavirus variant is not well understood but may spread more rapidly. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top pandemic expert, warned against causing undue alarm.
Nearly 630,000 doses have been distributed in Arizona
As of today, 629,845 vaccines have been distributed throughout the state.
Maricopa County says emails for second doses are being sent
Maricopa County Public Health officials said emails for private second-dose events starting next week are being sent to Arizonans who got their first doses in Goodyear or Chandler through Jan. 20.
UA research: Arizona economy recovering with big variances
University of Arizona research indicates the state’s economy has seen substantial recovery toward its pre-pandemic peak last February but that the recovery's breadth during the pandemic has varied widely by job sector and by geography.
Professor George Hammond of the university’s Eller Economic Business and Research Center says Arizona as of December replaced over two-thirds of the 294,600 jobs lost early last year.
Hammond says leisure and hospitality jobs remain the hardest hit but trade, transportation and utilities unemployment increased since February. Hammond said the recovery has been uneven statewide.
He said the Phoenix area “is completely responsible for the state’s job growth since June.”
The above article is from The Associated Press.
Navajo Nation reports 83 new cases, 11 more deaths
The Navajo Department of Health reported 83 new COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and 11 more deaths on Friday.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases is now 28,075, including five delayed reported cases.
The total number of deaths is now 1,011 as of Friday.
Reports indicate that 14,373 individuals have recovered from COVID-19, and 231,531 COVID-19 tests have been administered.
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 Saturday
There have been 753,379 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 13,098 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Arizona.
That's an increase from the 748,260 confirmed cases and 13,022 coronavirus-related deaths reported on Friday.
There were 5,119 new cases reported on Saturday, an increase from the 5,028 new cases reported on Friday.
There were 76 new deaths reported on Saturday, a decrease from the 203 new deaths reported on Friday.
There were 11,962 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 11,570 cases. That is subject to change.
Health officials said the day with the highest number of deaths was Jan. 5, when 140 people died. The day with the second-highest number of deaths was Jan. 9, when 138 people died. That is subject to change.
In total, 17,524 new tests were reported on Saturday, an increase from the 14,777 new tests reported on Friday.
There have been a total of 3,856,933 PCR and Serology tests reported to the state as of Saturday.
14.2% of those tests have been positive as of Saturday, the same since Wednesday.
Here's a breakdown of the number of cases reported in each county:
- Maricopa: 469,294
- Pima: 100,810
- Pinal: 42,284
- Coconino: 15,144
- Navajo: 14,366
- Apache: 9,507
- Mohave: 19,205
- La Paz: 2,222
- Yuma: 34,990
- Graham: 5,086
- Cochise: 10,413
- Santa Cruz: 7,404
- Yavapai: 16,152
- Gila: 5,981
- Greenlee: 521
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.
